Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a press conference with Taoiseach Michael Martin at the presidential palace in Kiev, Ukraine. Photo date: Thursday, July 23, 2026.
Nile Carson – Pennsylvania Images | Pa Images | Getty Images
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to meet with a US envoy on Tuesday after US President Donald Trump launched fresh criticism of the wartime leader.
President Zelenskiy will arrive in Norway on Tuesday and will meet with the country’s Prime Minister Jonas Gaal and Finnish President Alexander Stubb in Oslo later the same day. U.S. Special Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will also participate in the discussion.
The meeting comes amid rising tensions between Mr. Zelensky and Mr. Trump, although the United States has recently eased some pressure on Russia, which invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Prime Minister Jonas Gare Storey said in a statement that Ukraine had invited Mr. Witkov and Mr. Kushner to join the talks in Oslo, Norway.
“Diplomatic efforts have been made in several countries so far, and Norway and Finland are happy to continue this effort. The aim is to move diplomatic efforts in a more constructive direction,” he said.
President Trump responded to criticism Monday by saying he was on the “wrong side” of history for recently waiving sanctions against Russia.
“Mr. Zelensky doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Trump told reporters outside the White House. “Mr. Zelenskiy is the person who should have solved this war a long time ago.”
“I think it’s time for someone else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine,” Trump said, reiterating his previous call for a “new president” in Kiev. “If he had listened to me, he would have gotten a better deal a long time ago, and a million people would have been alive by his side.”
Trump also said he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping to consider how to end the war in Ukraine that could potentially remove Zelensky. “We’ll do whatever we can to end the war, whether anyone is there or not,” Trump said.
Starshield complications
Last week, President Zelensky criticized the US government for restricting access to satellite services provided by SpaceX’s StarShield military satellite system, which is critical to Ukraine’s defense against Russian attack.
President Zelensky said on Monday that “no explanations have been made to Ukraine from the American side on any of these issues.”
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said the U.S. government and President Trump were “ultimately” responsible for the economic slowdown. Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied U.S. responsibility, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Zelenskiy to “be extremely careful about making false statements like this.”
President Trump said Monday that he doesn’t know who restricted Starlink services in Ukraine, but “I want to know.”
—CNBC’s Kevin Breuninger contributed to this report.
