标签： Europe

A warm opening hug between former U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Oslo this week did little to mask the growing rift at the highest levels of U.S.-Ukrainian relations, as a series of controversial policy shifts from the Trump administration have left Kyiv questioning Washington’s commitment to its war against Russian invasion.

The meeting, held in the Norwegian capital, comes after ten days of escalating public tension between Trump and Zelensky that has laid bare the fractious and unpredictable nature of their relationship. The two leaders have never enjoyed close ties, but recent exchanges have revealed a rupture deeper than any seen in years. Last week, Trump publicly attacked Zelensky in an interview with Newsmax, calling the Ukrainian leader “not a good guy” for the U.S. to work with. This week, he doubled down, dismissing Zelensky’s criticism of the U.S.-Russia diesel deal by saying “Zelensky doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

These harsh words are characteristic of Trump’s blunt, inconsistent approach to diplomacy, observers note. For instance, just four months after lambasting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in June 2025, calling him a leader with poor judgment, Trump publicly endorsed him ahead of Israel’s elections. “Trump can always do another U-turn,” explained Ian Bond of the Centre for European Reform, “But this does look bad.”

For his part, Zelensky has historically maintained a cautious public tone regarding his most unreliable yet critical partner, but this month his frustration has boiled over. Speaking to a visiting U.S. congressional delegation, Zelensky referenced “decisions on the American side that are hard to explain between friends” and openly voiced fears that Washington has made a political decision to slow down military support to Ukraine. Responding directly to Trump’s recent claim that he is the main barrier to a negotiated end to the war, Zelensky wrote on Telegram: “We have welcomed literally EVERY attempt by our partners to end this war with dignity.”

This is not the first time U.S.-Ukraine relations have hit a crisis point. After a high-profile public altercation between the two leaders in the Oval Office in February 2025, when Trump accused Zelensky of “gambling with World War III,” Washington temporarily suspended military aid and restricted intelligence sharing. That crisis was resolved in a week, and when the Trump administration later decided to end direct U.S. financing for military assistance to Ukraine, it established a mechanism for European nations to purchase U.S.-made military equipment on Kyiv’s behalf.

Today, however, the strains are being felt on the front lines of Ukraine’s air defense. One critical exception to the European funding model has been U.S.-made Patriot air defense missiles, which are badly needed by Kyiv to counter Russian ballistic missile attacks. Amid a global shortage of Patriot interceptors, supplies to Ukraine have slowed to a trickle. Citing an unnamed senior Ukrainian official, The Washington Post reported that only a handful of interceptors remain in Kyiv’s stockpile, and the Trump administration has delayed approval for U.S. allies to transfer their own Patriot stocks to Ukraine.

The most consequential policy shift that has angered Kyiv came earlier this month, when Trump announced a new deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to open U.S. markets to Russian diesel exports. While experts have questioned whether the deal will actually lower U.S. gasoline prices ahead of congressional midterm elections – widely seen as the primary political motivation for the agreement – it sent a clear signal that Washington is willing to prioritize its own political and economic interests over Ukraine’s concerns, particularly in the wake of Ukraine’s long-range strikes on Russian oil infrastructure. For Kyiv, the deal was a sharp rebuke.

Things got worse last Friday, when Trump waived a new round of sweeping sanctions on Russia that had been passed in the Graham Act – legislation named after late South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, a prominent and longtime supporter of Ukraine. Trump justified the move by arguing the sanctions would derail his efforts to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine, but Kyiv and its supporters see it as further evidence that the White House is aligning with the Kremlin. “What the Trump administration is doing is providing carrots to the Russians and sticks applied to the Ukrainians,” former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor told the BBC, adding “It’s inexplicable and saddening.” Senior Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev echoed that reading, calling the move “an important and truly historic moment,” a development that aligns with Moscow’s vision of closer U.S.-Russia ties promoted after the 2025 Trump-Putin summit in Anchorage.

Further eroding trust are unconfirmed allegations that the Trump administration has restricted intelligence sharing with Kyiv and limited Ukraine’s access to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service, both critical tools for Ukraine’s defense against Russian drone and missile attacks. Zelensky told NBC News that for three days amid a wave of Russian ballistic attacks, Ukraine received no advance warning from U.S. satellite intelligence. On October 12, five Russian S-400 missiles hit central Kyiv before air raid sirens or mobile alerts could be activated, according to local reports. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has denied any intentional pause in intelligence sharing, blaming the gap on a temporary “software problem.”

Similar confusion surrounds Starlink access. Ukrainian officials reported last week that connection speeds have been throttled, leaving military terminals unable to maintain the stable high-speed connections needed to intercept fast-moving Russian jet-powered drones, which have launched an escalating wave of attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent months. Reuters reported that the order to restrict access originated at the White House, but Rubio has denied that any such order was issued. Even so, the repeated emergence of these allegations points to a deep and ongoing breakdown of trust between the two sides.

This long-running tension has deep roots. For more than a decade, Trump has harbored mistrust toward Ukraine, stemming from his debunked belief that Ukrainian officials interfered in the 2016 U.S. election to prevent him from winning, including the false claim that the Democratic National Committee stored a server on Ukrainian territory. When Zelensky took office in 2019, he resisted Trump’s demands to open investigations into both the 2016 election claims and then-candidate Joe Biden, a refusal that came as Trump was withholding $391 million in congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine – a scandal that ultimately led to Trump’s first impeachment.

While it remains unclear whether this historical resentment is shaping current U.S. policy, there is no question that the already volatile U.S.-Ukraine relationship has entered another period of severe strain. Following the Oslo talks, Witkoff is set to carry a new set of Ukrainian proposals to St. Petersburg for talks with Putin, leaving the international community waiting for Moscow’s next move. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, who hosted the talks, said the meeting had helped “to straighten out a few things,” and struck a diplomatic tone, saying “There’s nothing to gain from… digging into what was said yesterday or a week ago.”

Zelensky struck an optimistic note after the talks, telling reporters he had a productive conversation with Secretary Rubio, that the early warning intelligence issue had already been resolved, and that he expected positive progress on both Patriot missile supplies and Starlink access. “I think we will have good results too,” he said. Even so, behind Zelensky’s carefully calibrated upbeat tone, it is clear that Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump are once again at odds, with the future of critical U.S. support for Ukraine hanging in the balance.

In a high-stakes gathering aimed at resetting strained relations between Kyiv and Washington, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff have convened in Oslo, Norway, for critical talks centered on the future of Western support for Ukraine and diplomatic efforts to end Russia’s full-scale invasion. Both leaders arrived in the Norwegian capital on Tuesday, with the meeting arranged at Zelensky’s explicit request through Norwegian and Finnish authorities, at what Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre called “a critical time for Ukraine.”

The talks come amid a sharp downward spiral in ties between Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump, whose public comments in recent weeks have openly questioned Zelensky’s leadership. Trump has gone so far as to state that Ukraine needs a new president and suggested that a third party should take over Ukraine’s negotiation mandate for any peace deal. The rift has deepened over mounting accusations from Ukrainian officials that Washington is withholding critical intelligence that would warn Kyiv of incoming Russian missile and drone attacks.

Serhii Beskrestnov, Zelensky’s top military technical adviser, recently told the BBC that inconsistent access to U.S. early warning intelligence is directly costing Ukrainian lives. “Sometimes we receive this information before the attack, another time we do not,” Beskrestnov said, describing the pattern of inconsistent alerts as deeply concerning. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, currently on an official visit to India, has pushed back fiercely against these claims, dismissing the accusations as “scandalous” and “outstandingly outrageous.” While Rubio acknowledged that additional Patriot air defense interceptors requested by Ukraine have not yet arrived in the country, he denied Washington has intentionally withheld any critical military support from Kyiv. Unconfirmed reports emerging on Tuesday have added to tensions, indicating that formal approval for the transfer of more Patriot interceptors is still pending in Washington.

Another major point of friction revolves around SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet network, a critical infrastructure for Ukraine’s military and civilian communications on the front lines. Last week, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators called for an urgent investigation into repeated service disruptions of Starlink across Ukrainian territory. Zelensky noted ahead of the Oslo talks that he had already held a “constructive discussion” with Rubio about the pressing need for consistent U.S. intelligence support, additional missile interceptors, and uninterrupted Starlink connectivity.

The Oslo meeting is not a bilateral dialogue between the U.S. and Ukrainian delegations. Witkoff was joined remotely by Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, while in-person and virtual attendees include Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and senior officials from the United Kingdom, Poland, France, Germany, the European Union, and NATO. Støre emphasized that the core goal of the facilitated talks is to steer the fractured U.S.-Ukraine relationship back onto “a more constructive path,” with the ultimate aim of reaching a “lasting and just peace” through diplomatic negotiations.

Speculation is growing that Witkoff may travel to Moscow for talks with Russian officials after wrapping up his engagements in Oslo, though no official itinerary has been confirmed. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russian officials hope to arrange a meeting with Witkoff in the near future, adding that Moscow “greatly appreciates the mediation efforts of the American negotiators.” The contact comes just weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with Trump to discuss the war, a conversation that was followed by Trump’s announcement that Russia would lift its ban on diesel exports to the U.S. and other global markets, ending U.S. sanctions on Russian diesel shipments.

European leaders have openly voiced growing concern over inconsistent signals from the Trump administration on the Ukraine war. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told Bloomberg TV on Monday that Washington has sent “mixed pictures and messages” on the conflict, noting that the U.S. has halted all funding for Ukraine’s defense since the start of 2025. “Europe and other countries are shouldering the burden now,” Merz said. “It’s really a big effort for our budgets, it’s really a big thing for the European Union, but we are doing that and we are trying to keep on doing that until this terrible war ends.”

U.S. Vice President JD Vance further clarified the Trump administration’s stance in a recent television interview, saying that while Ukraine is a “partner in some ways” to the U.S., the two countries hold “divergent interests from time to time” — specifically calling on Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian energy infrastructure. Vance added that the U.S. does not have a formal alliance with Ukraine, and he does not support Ukraine joining NATO, saying “we’re gonna work together on some things, but also we’re gonna be opposite on some things too.”

As the talks get underway in Oslo, the outcome of the negotiations is expected to shape the future of Western support for Ukraine, the trajectory of diplomatic efforts to end the war, and the stability of the transatlantic alliance amid shifting U.S. foreign policy priorities.

Seven straight days of violent unrest have rocked Albania, as anti-government demonstrations led largely by high school and university students have devolved into open conflict between protesters and riot police in the capital Tirana, with demonstrators demanding the resignation of long-serving Prime Minister Edi Rama.

Pre-counted official data puts the total injury toll at 295 ahead of Monday’s fresh clashes, with 186 of those injured being members of the police force. During a meeting with somber senior police commanders, Rama held up a stone that had been thrown at officers the previous day, stating firmly that if the state chooses to negotiate with the current protest movement, it ceases to function as a sovereign governing body. Since the unrest began, a local police station and multiple central government buildings in Tirana have been targeted by protesters, whose grievances combine demands for improved higher education conditions, widespread anger at systemic government corruption, and repeated calls for Rama to step down after 13 years in power.

Rama has pushed back hard against the movement, claiming the predominantly young protesters have been radicalized by what he called “dark forces” operating from Europe and the United States, framing the unrest as a coordinated, externally backed attack on Albania’s sovereignty.

On-the-ground reporting from Tirana’s Rinia (Youth) Park captured the preparation for conflict under clear October skies: protesters pried loose cobblestones from park pathways to use as ammunition for coming clashes with police, mirroring the stone Rama displayed to police leaders. Within minutes, security forces moved in: an armored police convoy advanced along the city’s main boulevard, with a leading water cannon truck firing tear gas canisters into crowds of fleeing demonstrators. Riot squads pursued the student-heavy crowd through the park, with many protesters taking shelter in a nearby cafe where even waiting staff were left teary-eyed from the lingering gas fumes. Volunteer medics in yellow reflective vests remained stationed under park trees to treat people overwhelmed by tear gas. The on-site reporter witnessed one incident where a police officer fired pepper spray at point-blank range into a young man’s face during a verbal confrontation.

Human rights lawyer Gentian Sejrani, who provides legal representation to more than 100 protesters arrested during the unrest, criticized police conduct as disorganized and unjust. Sejrani noted that police rarely present credible evidence to support arrests in court, citing one client who was detained purely by chance while walking to a bus stop, completely uninvolved in the protests. Conversely, he added, most protesters who throw projectiles at police rarely face arrest, as they are able to outrun security forces.

Mutual anger has fueled the cycle of violence: police are enraged by injuries to their colleagues, while protesters resent what they view as excessive police heavy-handedness, creating a chaotic, volatile standoff. Protesters have organized grassroots mutual aid, bringing saline spray to treat people exposed to tear gas.

Sidorela Vatnikaj, a 27-year-old master’s student and veteran activist with eight years of anti-government protest experience, is one of the de facto prominent voices in the leaderless movement. She described the daily reality of participating in the unrest: coordinating across decentralized protest groups, arranging legal support and first aid supplies, checking on the safety of fellow participants, and spending most of the day moving between protest sites while evading police.

While Vatnikaj says she is uncomfortable with violence targeting state authorities, she blames police for initiating and escalating the conflict. “When I see people throwing stones at the police, I understand their anger. I don’t judge them. I’m not happy, but they have no other way to be listened to,” she explained. She pointed out that many protesters come from families forced to leave Albania over the past decade – a wave of emigration that has seen a million people leave the country – and that young Albanians have been robbed of opportunity, ignored by the government, and now attacked by security forces.

In response to Rama’s rhetorical question asking what would happen if he stepped down, Vatnikaj called for a one-year technocratic interim government to oversee preparations for free, fair democratic elections. She has accused Rama of rigging previous votes and colluding with wealthy foreign investors and organized crime networks. She added that young Albanian protesters draw inspiration and encouragement from fellow Gen Z protest movements across the globe, noting that the dream of a dignified democratic society that drove previous generations has never been realized.

Rama, who has dominated Albanian politics since the early 2000s and held the prime ministership for 13 years, has positioned himself as the only leader capable of delivering Albania’s EU accession by the 2030 target.

A top adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made explosive claims that gaps in U.S. intelligence sharing about incoming Russian missile and drone attacks have already resulted in civilian deaths, amid a growing rift between Kyiv and the Trump administration over Ukraine’s war effort.

Serhii Beskrestnov, a key presidential adviser known by the call sign “Flash”, spoke exclusively to BBC, confirming that inconsistent and delayed U.S. intelligence has left Ukrainian officials unable to issue timely air raid warnings to at-risk populations. “It’s dangerous… I think it’s really very bad… People [have] already died,” Beskrestnov said, detailing that in multiple recent cases, U.S. warnings of Russian ballistic missile strikes arrived too late for civilians to reach shelter. Just Monday morning, Zelensky himself confirmed on social media that one of two overnight ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv came with no advance warning at all, while the second only gave residents minutes to find safety.

Beskrestnov’s claims contradict repeated public denials from Washington. The White House has repeatedly stated there have been no changes to intelligence sharing arrangements with Ukraine, while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that he was unaware of any pause in intelligence support, suggesting reports of disrupted sharing likely stemmed from an unreported software glitch on Ukraine’s own early warning system. This contradiction comes just one week after Kyiv first publicly reported a three-day pause in U.S. intelligence sharing, a disruption that coincided with a sharp diplomatic row between the Trump administration and Ukraine over Kyiv’s controversial deal to import Russian oil.

While Zelensky told NBC News over the weekend that intelligence sharing had been restored after the three-day halt, Beskrestnov pushed back on that framing, telling the BBC that American intelligence on incoming attacks remains incomplete and erratic. “Sometimes we receive this information before the attack, another time we do not,” he said, adding that in the overnight Monday attack, U.S. intelligence arrived just one minute before impact — too little time to activate a full public warning. He emphasized that other areas of U.S.-Ukrainian cooperation remain intact, and the problem is isolated to the air raid warning component of intelligence sharing.

Beyond intelligence sharing gaps, Beskrestnov also confirmed that ongoing restrictions to Ukraine’s access to Starlink and its military-focused subsidiary Starshield remain in place, with no clear explanation from U.S. stakeholders. Last week, Starlink imposed a 100mph speed limit on mobile units connected to Starshield, a service that Ukrainian military forces rely on for drone operations, helicopter communications, and frontline troop coordination. The restriction has directly limited Ukraine’s ability to intercept incoming Russian drones and launch mid-range strikes on Russian-occupied territory.

Starlink owner Elon Musk has previously stated that Starshield, a platform originally built for the U.S. Pentagon, falls under ultimate U.S. government control, implying Washington may have ordered the restrictions. President Trump has denied any involvement in the changes. Beskrestnov said Kyiv has received no clarity on who is responsible for the restrictions, adding that the simultaneous occurrence of intelligence sharing gaps and Starlink limitations is “probably” a deliberate pressure tactic to force Kyiv into negotiations with Moscow. “It’s probably the United States trying to say [to] us, ‘let’s have the conversation, negotiation with Russia, you should find the compromise’,” he told the BBC.

In response to the growing uncertainty over U.S. support, Beskrestnov confirmed that Ukrainian officials are already actively pursuing alternative communication systems to replace Starlink for both military and civilian use. While Ukraine operates its own domestic radar networks that can provide limited advance warning of incoming attacks, the capability is far from sufficient to replace U.S. intelligence. “Now we understand that something begins to happen with Starlink, and we’re not sure what will be the next step,” Beskrestnov said. “We understand that we should be prepared for some problems in future. And now we’re thinking about an alternative for Starlink, not only for air defence, for communication between our forces, between our staff, for civilians also, because we don’t know what we should expect in future regarding Starlink.”

When asked about the intelligence sharing dispute during a press availability Monday, Trump struck a critical tone toward Kyiv, saying “We’ve given a lot to Ukraine. They’ve given us nothing.” A senior anonymous White House official later reaffirmed that there have been no changes to intelligence sharing operations, noting that the Trump administration is focused on ending the war and has provided more total aid to Ukraine than any other country. The BBC has reached out to Starlink for comment on the restrictions, but has not yet received a response.

As diplomatic tensions simmer, Russian strikes against Ukrainian civilian targets continued Monday. Ukrainian officials reported that at least six people, including a toddler in a pram and an 11-year-old girl, were killed in a Russian drone strike on a park café in the Kharkiv region in northeast Ukraine. Fourteen additional people were injured in the attack, which Zelensky described as an “absolute atrocity”.