Witkoff, Kushner to meet with Zelensky

It’s Tuesday. We’re only two weeks out from November’s midterms. 

Trump envoys meet with Zelensky

Trump envoys meet with Zelensky

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The envoys are back in town:

AP Photo/Francisco Seco

President Trump’s special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are set to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday.

The talks are happening in Oslo, Norway, alongside leaders of Norway and Finland, according to the Norwegian government. Kushner will attend virtually.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said in a statement that Ukraine requested the U.S. representatives attend the meetings.

“Diplomatic efforts have previously taken place in several countries, and Norway and Finland are pleased to be able to continue this work. The aim is to put diplomatic efforts on a more constructive path,” he added.

Trump is getting mad: The president on Monday told reporters, “All I want for Russia and Ukraine is for them to stop the stupid war.” 

“Zelensky doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” he added. “If he would have listened to me, he would have made a much better deal a long time ago, and he’d have a million people living from his side.”

The president also said he would be willing to participate in a trilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping to address how to stop the Russia-Ukraine war.

Putin proposed the summit during a call with Trump earlier this month, per a Wall Street Journal report that cited a Russian intelligence officer briefed on the matter.

That phone conversation resulted in Trump’s announcement that he would waive sanctions on Russia to allow for more diesel sales in an effort to lower prices.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters Monday he believes there’s been “talks of a meeting,” when asked about the report.

“I think the president is open to anything that he can do to help bring the war to an end if it’s possible,” Rubio added.

Starshield squabble still going strong: Last week, Elon Musk’s Starlink took the spotlight after Ukraine’s military faced restricted access to Starshield, the military version of the satellite-based system.

Starlink services were cut off for objects that traveled more than 100 mph, impacting the capabilities of Ukraine’s drones, airplanes and helicopters, a source familiar with the matter told The Hill.

For days, senators and representatives have expressed concerns over Ukraine’s sudden loss of access to intelligence sharing and the high-speed Starlink data. 

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, as well as Republican Sens. Thom Tillis (N.C.), Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and John Cornyn (Texas) signed a letter to Platte Moring, the Pentagon’s inspector general,........

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