Volodymyr Zelensky says the US has restored intelligence sharing following “constructive dialogue” in Oslo, where he met with Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff.
Zelensky said Kyiv was now receiving warnings of ballistic missile attacks, which were reportedly suspended last week on orders from the White House.
“Early warning is now working. This is very important for our people, because we can know when Russian ballistic missiles are coming,” he said.
Witkoff will now meet with Russian president Vladimir Putin today in St Petersburg to relay what was discussed in Norway.
Trump's envoy is going to Russia with an aim to “create a pathway toward direct trilateral and broader multilateral negotiations”, a US official told Reuters.
It comes after the Wall Street Journal reported that Elon Musk ordered the slowdown of Ukraine's access to his military-grade Starlink satellite internet, which is critical for Kyiv's attack and defence drone capabilities.
The report said Musk discussed the matter with Trump both before and after the order was made. Trump has claimed neither of them is to blame, while Musk has not commented.
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Key Points
- Zelensky says intelligence sharing is working after 'constructive dialogue' with US
- Zelensky and Witkoff find 'elements of peace' in discussions, says Finnish president
- US officials plan to travel to Norway, Russia for Ukraine talks, say sources
- Trump claims Zelensky ‘never wanted to end war’ as rift deepens with Kyiv
- Trump hits out Zelensky and says Ukraine has 'given us nothing'
- Russia strikes 28 energy critical energy facilities
- Zelensky discusses speeding up supplies of Patriots with Lockheed Martin
US envoy Witkoff to meet Putin in Russia
06:00 , Shweta SharmaUS special envoy Steve Witkoff is travelling to Russia to meet president Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on Wednesday to discuss proposals on ending Russia's war in Ukraine.
Witkoff is to meet Putin a day after meeting president Volodymyr Zelensky in Oslo.
The US official has said that Ukraine brought forward new ideas and proposals to the Oslo talks, which also involved the leaders of Norway and Finland and European and Nato representatives, and that participants made "meaningful progress" toward a coordinated approach to engaging Russia.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the talks covered "key elements of a comprehensive peace framework," including security guarantees for Ukraine, a post-war economic plan and a broader European security architecture.
Witkoff would aim to "create a pathway toward direct trilateral and broader multilateral negotiations," the official said.
Zelensky says he had 'constructive dialogue' with the US
05:50 , Shweta SharmaVolodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine and the US had a "constructive dialogue" following his talks in Oslo with Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff.
In a social media post, Zelensky said: “Today we discussed security guarantees, and I'm thankful to the American side for underlining again that they have to be strong.”
“There are different kinds of security guarantees on paper – in the document – which Steve will share with the Russians. We will hear his feedback afterwards,” he said.
Zelensky also had a call with Marco Rubio, who is travelling to India.
He said the two spoke “about sensitive issues such as Starlink, ballistic missile interceptors, and intelligence”.
“We were very concrete and the conversation was positive,” he said.
"It was constructive because all of us want peace – Ukraine, Europe, the United States."
Today we discussed security guarantees, and I'm thankful to the American side for underlining again that they have to be strong. There are different kinds of security guarantees on paper – in the document – which Steve will share with the Russians. We will hear his feedback… pic.twitter.com/SjyKs4d8mv
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 20, 2026
Musk ordered slowdown of Starlink in Ukraine, report says
04:50 , Shweta SharmaElon Musk last week ordered the slowdown of a military-grade version of SpaceX's Starlink satellite service that Ukraine relies on, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing US officials and people familiar with the matter.
Ukraine uses Starlink for battlefield communications and drone operations.
Restricting the satellite service hampered the country's attack and air defence drone missions against Russia.
Musk and US president Donald Trump discussed the Starlink decision in a call soon after the slowdown became public, while the president was campaigning last week, according to the report, which added the two had also discussed the matter prior to the decision to throttle Starlink.
According to a Reuters report, the order to limit the satellite system came from inside the White House.
Trump said last week he did not think either he or Musk was responsible for Ukraine losing Starlink access, while Musk said any limits on speed or Starship use were decided by the US military or the president.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky's relations with Washington have sunk to new lows after Trump announced a deal to buy Russian diesel and waived new sanctions on Moscow. Trump has also told Kyiv to stop attacking Russian refineries and urged Ukrainians to replace Zelensky.
Zelensky, who is in Oslo in a bid to repair US relations, said on Tuesday he discussed issues including "the situation with Starlink/Starshield, which needs to be restored" with US secretary of state Marco Rubio.
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday Washington had not pulled back Ukraine's ability to access Starling's satellite network, but signalled the problem lay with the terms of service Kyiv needed to comply with.
Musk is yet to respond to the allegations.
Russian drones kill two people near Ukraine's Kharkiv overnight, governor says
03:51 , Shweta SharmaRussian drones killed two people near Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv overnight, Regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said on Telegram on Wednesday.
Another 11 people suffered stress reactions in the attack that struck private houses and caused other damage, he added.
Watch: Trump rift escalates as Rubio rages at ‘scandalous’ claims about US intelligence
03:00 , Maira ButtWitkoff to meet Putin on Wednesday, say US officials
02:00 , Maira ButtUS President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, a US official told Reuters.
The report followed Witkoff’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Norway on Tuesday.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Ukraine brought forward new ideas and proposals and the goal in discussions with Putin is to build on progress made with Ukraine and Europe and discuss the proposals with Russia.
Analysis: Trump has finally abandoned the West for Putin. This is what the UK and Europe must do next
01:00 , Maira ButtDonald Trump is planning to have “peace talks” about Ukraine without Ukraine in China with Vladimir Putin. He has said that Kyiv needs to be represented by someone other than Volodymyr Zelensky. The ideas are mad, bad, and dangerous for Europe.
This is the moment when the West must stand apart and stand up to the US administration. Russia’s president has a proxy in the White House who seemingly acts entirely and only in the interests of Russia.
The Kremlin is an active enemy to Europe, and beyond. And so it is time for Nato’s European countries, Canada, Japan, South Korea and for the leaders of the free-thinking world to shut down and stop Trump’s ludicrous plan.
He, his secretary of state and “secretary of war” have all insisted that the US has given “hundreds of billions” to Ukraine’s war effort and “got nothing back”. The US has not given that much and, since Trump came to power, has given no military aid. Joe Biden gave and authorised about $127bn. Europe and the UK have given about $260bn in assistance.
The Independent’s world affairs editor Sam Kiley reports:
Trump has finally abandoned the West for Putin. This is what UK and Europe must do
The key moments that have shaped Trump and Zelensky’s rocky relationship
Wednesday 21 October 2026 00:01 , James ReynoldsRelations between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky have reached a new low after the US president tore up sanctions on Russia and struck a highly controversial deal to purchase Russian diesel.
The latest fracture followed months of careful positioning by the Ukrainian president and his allies in Europe to avoid upsetting Trump and the US abandoning the country altogether.
But with Ukraine facing another brutal winter of Russian strikes, Washington’s commitment to sharing vital intelligence and interceptor missiles is again in question.
And where Zelensky would once have tried to court the American president with open displays of praise and gratitude, this time he has stood his ground.
As US special envoy Steve Witkoff meets the Ukrainian president in Oslo in a bid to repair ties, The Independent looks back on the key moments that have shaped the rocky relationship between the two leaders:
The key moments that have shaped Trump and Zelensky’s rocky relationship
Musk ordered Starlink slowdown that blindsided Ukraine, WSJ reports
Tuesday 20 October 2026 23:00 , Maira ButtElon Musk ordered the slowdown of a military-grade version of Starlink SPCX.O relied on by Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing US officials and people familiar with the matter.
He had previously suggested that he was not responsible for the outage.
“Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and POTUS,” Musk wrote on X in response to a post by Ukraine’s foreign minister Mykhailo Fedorov saying that the technology was “critical” for the country.
Defence secretary Pete Hegseth had denied that the US was responsible, saying: “We haven't pulled anything back. There are terms of service that ultimately need to be complied to, and that's where Starlink has the option to make those decisions.”
Trump urges Ukraine to 'settle' with Russia
Tuesday 20 October 2026 21:57 , Maira ButtPresident Donald Trump has urged Ukraine to “settle” with Russia as tensions with Kyiv continued to escalate on Tuesday.
"Ukraine has to want to settle this war," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office and insisted that Moscow wanted to get the deal “done”.
"Russia is a big machine — they just keep grinding forward, and that's what they've done. They've taken a very large piece of land."
He added: “We've given a lot to Ukraine. We've gotten absolutely nothing back except grief, death, tremendous monetary loss.”
The latest: Zelensky’s approval rating surges as Trump rift escalates
Tuesday 20 October 2026 21:00 , James ReynoldsVolodymyr Zelensky has seen a significant boost in his trust rating among Ukrainians amid an escalating war of words with Donald Trump, who has piled pressure on Kyiv to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries.
A new poll published by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on 20 October revealed that the Ukrainian president’s trust rating rose by 14 percentage points since the US struck a deal with Moscow to supply Russian diesel, drawing a furious reaction from Kyiv.
The survey found that 43% of Ukrainians trusted Zelensky between 8 October and 9, while 52% did not. Between 10 October and 16, his trust rating had jumped to 57%, while the number of people who distrusted him fell to 39%.
Top story: Zelensky to meet Witkoff in bid to repair ties with Trump administration
Tuesday 20 October 2026 20:00 , James ReynoldsUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was due on Tuesday in Oslo to meet US special envoy Steve Witkoff, trying to repair ties that have deteriorated this month as President Donald Trump courted Moscow.
In the latest comments expressing warmth towards Moscow and coldness towards Kyiv, Trump said on Monday: "Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine." Zelenskiy was "not helping matters much" and Kyiv should find "somebody else to negotiate".
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged on Tuesday that a consignment of US air defence missiles bought by Europeans for Ukraine may not have been delivered, but played down the significance.
The Kremlin said it was hoping to set up a meeting soon between Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin, an apparent indication that Witkoff could head to Russia after meeting Zelensky.
Bessent says a Democrat-led Congress could do little to stop Trump agenda
Tuesday 20 October 2026 19:00 , James ReynoldsUS Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Tuesday that there is not much a Democrat-led House of Representatives could do to stop the Trump administration's agenda.
"I think there's very little," Bessent said in an interview on 2Way TV two weeks ahead of November's midterm elections.
Mother and baby daughter in pushchair killed in Russian drone strike on Ukraine park
Tuesday 20 October 2026 18:30 , Maira ButtA Ukrainian teacher and her one-year-old daughter were killed in a Russian drone strike while taking a stroll through the park, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
Inna Mariukhna, a 28-year-old primary school teacher, and her 14-month-old daughter Angelina, were killed in the attack on a park in Nova Vodolaha, Kharkiv region, with Zelensky condemning the “pure atrocity”.
"A horrific Russian strike in the Kharkiv region,” he wrote on X. “A Shahed struck people directly – in a park near an ordinary café. Pure atrocity. Six people were killed, including children.
Alex Croft reports:
Mother and baby daughter in pushchair killed in Russian strike on Ukraine park
Zelensky and Witkoff found 'elements of peace' in talks, says Finnish PM
Tuesday 20 October 2026 18:21 , Maira ButtFinnish president Alexander Stubb has hinted that discussions between himself Volodymyr Zelensky and Steve Witkoff have gone well.
“We found some elements of peace, which will be taken forward to St Petersburg tomorrow,” he said.
Norway’s prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre said that Witkoff will fly to St Petersburg tomorrow where he will meet the Russian leadership.
The Norwegian leader said Zelensky had asked Finland and Norway to organise the talks.
The Ukrainian leader added that he hopes to speak to US secretary of state Marco Rubio within the next 48 hours.
He said he was thankful that intelligence on missile strikes “works now” after earlier reports suggested that Kyiv had been cut off.
Extraordinary footage shows Ukraine carry out first ever drone airlift of wounded soldier from frontline
Tuesday 20 October 2026 18:00 , James ReynoldsThis is the extraordinary moment Ukraine carried out what it said was the first ever evacuation of a wounded soldier from the frontline with a flying drone.
Ukraine’s 92nd Assault Brigade shared footage of Monday’s daring mission at an undisclosed location crowded with Russian drone activity and landmines.
An infantryman from the 30th Separate Mechanised Brigade had been injured and a heavy Russian presence made an evacuation with conventional ground vehicles impossible, they said.
The key moments that have shaped Trump and Zelensky’s rocky relationship
Tuesday 20 October 2026 17:30 , James ReynoldsRelations between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky have reached a new low after the US president tore up sanctions on Russia and struck a highly controversial deal to purchase Russian diesel.
The latest fracture followed months of careful positioning by the Ukrainian president and his allies in Europe to avoid upsetting Trump and the US abandoning the country altogether.
But with Ukraine facing another brutal winter of Russian strikes, Washington’s commitment to sharing vital intelligence and interceptor missiles is again in question.
And where Zelensky would once have tried to court the American president with open displays of praise and gratitude, this time he has stood his ground.
As US special envoy Steve Witkoff meets the Ukrainian president in Oslo in a bid to repair ties, The Independent looks back on the key moments that have shaped the rocky relationship between the two leaders:
The key moments that have shaped Trump and Zelensky’s rocky relationship
Jon Stewart tears into Trump’s Russian deal as Ukraine crisis deepens
Tuesday 20 October 2026 17:00 , James ReynoldsJon Stewart blasted President Donald Trump's Russian diesel deal as "insane" and "incoherent," accusing the administration of undermining its own sanctions against Moscow.
During Monday's Daily Show, Stewart played footage of Energy Secretary Chris Wright defending the agreement on Fox News, where Wright suggested encouraging Russian diesel exports could ultimately benefit Ukraine.
"Why would we motivate a group to sell diesel when we just put sanctions on them for selling diesel?" Stewart asked. "Doing the opposite within a month is insane. It is illogical. It is incoherent."
Read the full story:
Jon Stewart tears into Trump’s Russian diesel deal as Ukraine crisis deepens
Analysis: Trump has finally abandoned the West for Putin
Tuesday 20 October 2026 16:20 , James ReynoldsTrump’s plan for talks about Ukraine in China without Ukraine is the latest act in his sabotage campaign for Vladimir Putin, writes world affairs editor Sam Kiley – and Europe and the UK need to act
Trump has finally abandoned the West for Putin. This is what UK and Europe must do
Two killed in 'Ukrainian attacks on Russian-controlled Luhansk'
Tuesday 20 October 2026 15:40 , James ReynoldsTwo people have been killed in Ukrainian attacks in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region of Ukraine over the past day, the Moscow-installed governor said on Tuesday.
EU has to change posture in Arctic as Russia rebuilds military presence, von der Leyen
Tuesday 20 October 2026 15:00 , James ReynoldsThe European Union must change its strategic posture in the Arctic as Russia is rebuilding its military footprint there and values that underpinned security in the region can no longer be taken for granted, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday.
"The Arctic is one place where the tectonic plates of geopolitics are colliding. And it is not someone else's frontier. It is part of the European Union," von der Leyen said, presenting a new EU strategy for the Arctic.
The key moments that have shaped Trump and Zelensky’s rocky relationship
Tuesday 20 October 2026 15:00 , James ReynoldsRelations between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky have reached a new low after the US president tore up sanctions on Russia and struck a highly controversial deal to purchase Russian diesel.
The latest fracture followed months of careful positioning by the Ukrainian president and his allies in Europe to avoid upsetting Trump and the US abandoning the country altogether.
But with Ukraine facing another brutal winter of Russian strikes, Washington’s commitment to sharing vital intelligence and interceptor missiles is again in question.
And where Zelensky would once have tried to court the American president with open displays of praise and gratitude, this time he has stood his ground.
As US special envoy Steve Witkoff meets the Ukrainian president in Oslo in a bid to repair ties, The Independent looks back on the key moments that have shaped the rocky relationship between the two leaders:
The key moments that have shaped Trump and Zelensky’s rocky relationship
Watch: Wounded soldier airlifted from Ukraine battlefield by drone
Tuesday 20 October 2026 14:30 , Daniel KeaneZelensky sees trust rating boost after rift with Trump
Tuesday 20 October 2026 13:39 , Daniel KeaneVolodymyr Zelensky has seen a significant boost in his trust rating among Ukrainians amid an escalating war of words with Donald Trump, who has piled pressure on Kyiv to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries.
A new poll published by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on 20 October revealed that the Ukrainian president’s trust rating rose by 14 percentage points since the US struck a deal with Moscow to supply Russian diesel, drawing a furious reaction from Kyiv.
The survey found that 43% of Ukrainians trusted Zelensky between 8 October and 9, while 52% did not. Between 10 October and 16, his trust rating had jumped to 57%, while the number of people who distrusted him fell to 39%.
