US special envoy Steve Witkoff has travelled to Russia for talks with President Vladimir Putin, after Ukraine’s leader said American intelligence support on lethal Russian attacks was now functioning again.

Kyiv had alleged that the United States had recently limited the sharing of this intelligence, contributing to Ukrainian deaths. Washington dismissed the accusation as outrageous.

Volodymyr Zelensky made the comments after holding talks with Witkoff in Oslo on Tuesday, a meeting later described by a US official as constructive.

The Ukrainian president and his European partners said Russia now had to respond to proposals discussed in Oslo when Witkoff meets Putin in St Petersburg on Wednesday to consider possible steps towards ending the war.

Putin has not commented publicly on the latest diplomatic efforts. However, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the Kremlin would hear Witkoff’s proposals while rejecting the prospect of “any political concessions”.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who joined the Oslo discussions along with Norway’s prime minister, said there had been “real progress” on peace proposals, although he gave no specifics and cautioned that the process would require patience.

Witkoff did not appear at the joint news conference with Zelensky following the talks. Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, also did not attend in person, having joined the meeting by video.

A US official later described the session as highly productive and constructive, saying the United States, Ukraine and European representatives showed strong working-level agreement on the next stages.

Ties between Kyiv and Washington have deteriorated in recent weeks. President Trump has said Ukraine should have a new leader and, more recently, suggested that another person should negotiate for the country.

With US midterm elections approaching next month, Trump has also tried to link Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil facilities to higher fuel prices, which have risen since the US-led conflict with Iran began.

Speaking to reporters at the White House after the Oslo news conference, Trump again said he wanted Kyiv to reach an agreement.

He said Russia appeared willing to finish the conflict and argued that it was time for Ukraine to bring the war to an end.

Putin began Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Moscow now occupies roughly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory.

Russian drone assaults have continued this week. Ukrainian authorities said at least 10 people were killed on Tuesday: four in Kyiv and the surrounding area, four in the eastern Donetsk region, and two in the central city of Dnipro.

A further overnight attack on Wednesday killed two people near Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.

Speaking about intelligence cooperation after Tuesday’s talks, Zelensky said he was grateful that the system was now operating.

“When it comes to early warning, it is extremely important for our people, for children, adults and civilians, because we can hear when ballistic missiles are coming. We are grateful to the American side — it is working now, and that is very good,” he said.

Zelensky also said he hoped for a positive outcome regarding Starlink, after Ukraine’s military reported speed limits affecting drones using the internet network for attacks inside Russia.

A cross-party group of US senators called last week for an urgent inquiry into those restrictions.

The Ukrainian president said the participants had also discussed robust security guarantees for Ukraine and proposals for an energy-related ceasefire. He repeated that Kyiv was ready to negotiate an end to the fighting.

“We are not losing this war, of course, but we are losing people because Russia keeps attacking,” he said.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said Europe had to be included in any talks aimed at stopping the war.

Unverified reports on Tuesday suggested that a further delivery of US-made Patriot interceptor missiles, considered the most effective defence against Russian ballistic missiles, had not yet been authorised.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it could be correct that Patriot interceptors had not yet reached Ukraine, but insisted that Washington had not deliberately withheld anything from Kyiv.

European leaders have also voiced concern about the tone of recent US remarks concerning Russia.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday that there were “mixed signals and messages” about the conflict. He said he was working to persuade the US government that the issue had to be settled together.

“This places a major burden on our budgets and is a very significant challenge for the European Union, but we are doing it and will try to continue until this terrible war is over,” the German leader said.

Asked on Monday whether he considered Ukraine a US ally, Vice-President JD Vance said Kyiv was a partner in certain respects but that their interests sometimes differed, including over attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.

“As far as I know, we do not have a formal alliance with Ukraine. It is not in Nato, and I do not think it should join Nato. We will work together in some areas, but in others we will be on opposing sides,” he said.