Zelensky meets Witkoff as US-Ukraine relations sink to new lows

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff on Tuesday in an effort to improve relations that France 24 reports have sunk to new lows. The meeting occurred as Kyiv expressed concerns that Washington is withholding vital defenses, including Patriot air-defense missiles funded by Ukraine's allies. According to the Kyiv Independent, these discussions in Oslo also involved Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store and Finnish President Alexander Stubb.

The Kyiv Independent reports that Witkoff is scheduled to meet Russian officials in St. Petersburg on Oct. 21 to discuss peace proposals. Zelensky stated at a press conference that these proposals include Article 5-like post-war security guarantees and that the goal is to move toward a trilateral meeting of leaders to address specific issues.

While tensions exist regarding defense supplies, Ukrinform - Politics notes that Ukraine is currently receiving U.S. intelligence, including an early-warning system for Russian ballistic missile attacks.

Brief written by urgent.news from France 24, Kyiv Independent, Ukrinform - Politics, The Hill — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.