Rubio says Witkoff-Zelenskyy meeting was positive ahead of Moscow visit
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Sabcnews
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio views the meeting between envoy Steve Witkoff and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy positively. Witkoff is due to present the discussions to Russian President Vladimir Putin, while Washington denies any involvement in Ukraine’s access to Starlink, according to Marco Rubio.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described as positive the meeting between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, held in Oslo on Tuesday. Witkoff is due to present the ideas discussed to the Russian side during his planned meeting with President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, Rubio told journalists in Mumbai, reports Sabcnews.
Rubio said the discussions with Zelensky had revealed nothing surprising. He also said Washington had not asked for changes to Ukraine’s access to Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service used by the Ukrainian military. He added that the US government could not dictate to a private company decisions relating to its service.
The meeting is part of a series of discussions aimed at restoring relations between Washington and Kyiv, strained by disagreements over military aid, intelligence-sharing and access to the military version of Starlink. Zelensky had met Steve Witkoff in Oslo on 20 October.
Under President Donald Trump, the United States has largely stopped providing weapons directly to Ukraine. However, it allows European countries to buy US weapons for Kyiv through the PURL programme, and continues to provide intelligence and technology, reports Sabcnews.
Update, 21 October 2026: US envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg, after discussions with the Ukrainian president and European leaders in Oslo. Read: Steve Witkoff meets Vladimir Putin to revive Ukraine talks.
Summary produced with the help of artificial intelligence tools, under AFREEQUE’s editorial responsibility.
