Updated Oct. 20, 2026, 10:05 p.m. ET. This is a developing story.

A new push to end the war in Ukraine is heading straight to the Kremlin. On Tuesday, Oct. 20, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff sat down in Oslo, Norway, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders to shape a joint "framework" for peace.

The plan now goes to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Witkoff is scheduled to meet him in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, Oct. 21, according to a U.S. official cited by Axios and the BBC. As of 10 p.m. ET on Oct. 20, the meeting had not taken place. The Kremlin had not publicly confirmed the date; spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, "We hope that a meeting can be arranged in the very near future," The Moscow Times reported.

Who was in the room

The Oslo talks brought together Witkoff, Zelensky, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. Axios reports that representatives of France, the UK, Germany, Poland, the European Union and NATO also took part. Jared Kushner joined by video.

Zelensky framed the day as a united front. "We have some clear ideas on how to get to peace," he said, according to The Kyiv Independent. "And we are united with our European partners in this effort, and we want the Americans to take these ideas to the Russians."

Stubb pointed to two areas of agreement: "We discussed and found key elements on security, and we discussed and found key elements on the economy."

A U.S. official described the talks as "very productive and constructive," the BBC reported, and said the parties had made "meaningful progress," according to Axios.

What's on the table

The full plan hasn't been made public. What we do know comes from the leaders themselves.

Zelensky said the proposal includes "Article 5-like" post-war security guarantees for Ukraine, a reference to NATO's Article 5, the alliance's promise that an attack on one member is treated as an attack on all.

He also said, per Axios, that Ukraine is ready to stop striking Russian oil refineries if Moscow takes matching steps.

Zelensky wants the next step to be a three-way meeting between himself, Putin and President Donald Trump. Russia has so far rejected that format.

Where each side stands

Moscow is listening, but it's not promising much. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the Kremlin would hear Witkoff's offer while ruling out "any political concessions," the BBC reported.

From Washington, the pressure is on Kyiv. "We want Zelensky to make a deal … If they don't make a deal, it's just gonna get worse [for Ukraine]," Trump said on Oct. 20, according to Axios.

Relations between the U.S. and Ukraine have been tense. The friction followed a U.S.-Russia diesel deal announced on Oct. 9, The Kyiv Independent reports. Axios reports that Trump agreed to lift sanctions on Russian diesel sales.

The war didn't pause for the talks

Even as leaders met, the attacks continued. Ukrainian officials said Russian drone strikes killed at least 10 people on Tuesday, Oct. 20, the BBC reported: four in Kyiv and the surrounding region, four in Donetsk and two in Dnipro.

"Of course, we are not losing this war, but we are losing people because Russia attacks," Zelensky said, according to the BBC.

Russia controls about 20% of Ukraine's territory, the BBC reports.

What to watch in St. Petersburg on Oct. 21

All eyes are on St. Petersburg. The key questions: whether Putin engages with the framework, whether Russia softens on a three-way leaders' meeting, and whether Ukraine's offer on refinery strikes gets a matching response.

For now, the plan is on its way. Whether it becomes a path to peace depends on the St. Petersburg meeting set for Oct. 21. Street Buzz will update this story as results come in.

Sources