Trump envoys to hold fresh Ukraine talks as energy crunch looms over midterms

Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to travel to Norway this week for a fresh round of talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the latest attempt to broker an end to the war in Ukraine. The meeting comes as the Trump administration intensifies pressure on Kyiv to halt long-range strikes on Russian oil refineries, a move aimed at easing soaring diesel and petrol prices in the United States ahead of next month’s midterm elections. A person familiar with the arrangements said the visit was “in the works” but cautioned that it could still be subject to change, and the White House declined to comment on the talks.

The diplomatic push unfolds against a backdrop of record fuel costs and deepening friction between Trump and Zelenskyy. Petrol prices have risen by more than half since the start of the year, reaching $4.29 a gallon on Monday, according to the AAA motoring group. Diesel prices have climbed almost 80 percent to $6.32 a gallon, a record high that is heaping pressure on farmers and truckers. With opinion polls showing the president’s approval ratings at an all-time low, energy costs have become a central liability for the administration as it campaigns for the midterms.

Trump has sought to address the crunch by easing pressure on Moscow. He lifted sanctions on Russian diesel and has opted not to impose further measures on Russia’s war economy, despite new legislation passed last month that mandated such action. Explaining the move on social media over the weekend, Trump said he did not want to do anything that could “drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table.” The approach has drawn criticism from analysts who argue it sacrifices leverage over Moscow for short-term domestic political gain. Michael Kimmage, director of the Kennan Institute think-tank, said Trump was “scapegoating Ukraine for narrative purposes in the domestic American political context,” adding that the strategy reflected “exactly how thin and to a degree catastrophic his foreign policy record is.”

The tension between Trump and Zelenskyy has reached its lowest point since their public spat in the Oval Office last year. Trump said Monday that Zelenskyy “doesn’t want to stop [the war]” and “is not helping matters much,” adding that “it’s time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine.” The remarks came as the president departed for Kansas to campaign, and they follow weeks of turbulence in the administration. The White House recently asked Kimberly Guilfoyle, the Trump-appointed ambassador to Greece, to step down after reports about her accepting improper gifts, and Trump voiced frustration over reports that two senior campaign aides traveled to Bosnia’s Serb-majority entity earlier this month, where they were reportedly paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for election advice.

The relationship between Trump and Zelenskyy has swung wildly over the course of the second term, with the president complimenting Ukrainian military performance during the summer before the latest rupture. That rupture came after Trump spoke with Putin and unexpectedly announced a deal to release Russian diesel onto the global market to tame high prices at US fuel pumps, a move Zelenskyy was quick to criticize. The Norway talks will test whether the two sides can find common ground on a ceasefire framework, but the domestic political stakes are high. The administration’s willingness to trade pressure on Moscow for relief at the pump raises questions about the durability of Western unity on Ukraine and the credibility of US negotiating positions. For professional readers, the key takeaway is that energy prices and electoral calendars are now driving the pace and direction of US diplomacy on Ukraine, with potential consequences for global fuel markets and the trajectory of the war.