Rubio Denies Ukraine Blame as Zelensky Meets US Envoys

Marco Rubio told the world Tuesday that President Donald Trump feels frustrated by claims he is intentionally hurting Ukraine. Rubio made these comments while visiting India. He addressed specific allegations that the president ordered intelligence sharing to stop. According to the US Secretary of State, those accusations are false. The White House has stated as much repeatedly. Rubio argued it is unfair to blame Washington for actions taken deliberately against Kyiv.

President Volodymyr Zelensky flew to Oslo on Tuesday to meet with top American envoys. His goal was clear: move strained relations between the two nations onto a more constructive path. In a social media post, Zelensky confirmed his arrival in Norway. He said they are maintaining all contacts that can help bring peace. The talks were set up by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store. Meetings will include US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Kushner is joining remotely. Finnish President Alexander Stubb is also part of the group.

Tensions have grown since President Trump partially lifted sanctions to allow a diesel-supply deal with Russia's Vladimir Putin. He called Zelensky a warmonger for attacking Russian oil refineries. In response, the Ukrainian leader has accused the United States of withholding vital intelligence and delaying military aid. On Monday, he said Ukraine received no early warning before powerful Russian missile strikes hit energy facilities in the capital region. Images from Kyiv show the damage. An elderly woman was seen cleaning up debris in her damaged apartment after a night air attack on October 14. A wounded woman sat on the ground near an apartment building struck by missiles on October 13.

Diplomatic efforts led by the United States to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II have stalled recently. Washington has shifted its focus toward the war with Iran. The Norway talks were scheduled to begin Tuesday afternoon and continue into the evening, Store told reporters. Their aim is to put diplomatic efforts on a more constructive path.

Before the meeting, Zelensky said he held substantive and constructive talks with Rubio. He insisted that the US military satellite system Ukraine uses, Starshield, needs to be restored immediately. Ballistic missile interceptors are also needed to protect lives. On Monday, Zelensky told US senators that the Pentagon is delaying the delivery of missiles already paid for by European countries. The shipment was waiting for a signature from US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. Several European nations were ready to transfer Patriot interceptor missiles from their own stockpiles but still awaited US approval.

The United States has denied making any changes to intelligence sharing with Ukraine. Rubio stated on Tuesday that Washington is not deliberately withholding supplies. He explained there is nothing being purposely denied. It is simply a balance between obligations to other partners and the nation's own interests.

A man hangs a national flag from his damaged apartment balcony as smoke rises from a missile strike during Russia's night air attack on Kyiv on October 14. Nearby, Andrii Parhomchuk sits injured and smokes a cigarette in front of his charred home following the same assault that shook the city just days before.

The violence continued into the next day when a Russian drone struck a residential area in the city centre on October 15, injuring a man who happened to be near the impact site. By October 17, the toll had become tragically clear in Sloviansk where firefighters recovered the body of an elderly woman from the rubble left behind after another air strike hit a residential building there.

Meanwhile, political drama unfolded far away as Donald Trump denied ordering a reduction in speeds on the US government-owned Starshield network. Elon Musk claimed such an order could only come from the White House since his company SpaceX developed the system. The US leader then accused his counterpart of failing to try and resolve the conflict with Russia while telling reporters that Zelensky does not know what he is talking about.

Trump stated on Monday that it was time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine, signaling a willingness to meet Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in China next month to discuss denuclearisation. These talks could also cover the Ukraine war which fuels fears in Kyiv that their struggle is being sidelined by global powers more interested in nuclear stability than local sovereignty.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed earlier that the topic of such a hypothetical meeting had indeed been mentioned when asked about a Wall Street Journal report on Sunday. He added that Witkoff would travel from Oslo to Russia to meet Putin so American negotiators could brief him on their contacts with both the Ukrainians and Europeans. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga argued that such a meeting would only encourage Putin to continue this war against his people.

Russian strikes killed at least six people around the country on Tuesday as Moscow targets energy and transport infrastructure with winter approaching fast. The attacks came after Zelensky said Kyiv would resume hitting Russian refineries in the face of unrelenting strikes, more than four-and-a-half years into the brutal conflict that has devastated communities across both nations.