In brief
Norway’s capital became the backdrop for two sleepless days of diplomacy, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, US envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian officials hoping for a breakthrough. Despite a ‘constructive’ tone in Oslo, Russian foreign‑policy aide Yuri Ushakov said there was little useful material to change the war’s status quo. Trump’s new‑look sanctions pause and promise to buy Russian diesel have not convinced Kremlin leaders that peace is imminent. With a future Abu‑Dhabi meeting only at a technical level, the overall picture is a frozen conversation and a bell‑hop test of elite diplomacy.
After 48 hours in Oslo, the dream that Russia will pull out of the war for good seems still far away.
The meeting brought Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, US envoy Steve Witkoff, and Russian officials together in the capital of Norway, but talks stayed polite, not decisive.
Russian foreign‑policy aide Yuri Ushakov said that what was discussed in Oslo offered “little useful material” to end the conflict, and he was unimpressed by the proposals.
Trump has quietly paused some sanctions on Moscow and agreed to buy Russian diesel, a move that eases pressure on Putin but offers no real path to peace.
A trilateral summit with Putin, Zelensky, and Trump looks unlikely to happen soon; the only fit‑in option in the near term is an Abu Dhabi technical meeting in May.
Meanwhile, Russian TV reported that the city of St Petersburg was “moving in that direction”, yet the glass‑door signs for an actual treaty stay out of reach.
The picture that emerges is one of high‑level diplomacy that spins a lot of rhetoric but gives few concrete results.
