President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has raised the prospect of trilateral talks involving the United States, China and Russia as a possible route to ending the war in Ukraine, confirming in Oslo that he discussed the proposal directly with American officials this week.
The Ukrainian leader spoke late on Tuesday after meeting US envoy Steve Witkoff alongside the presidents of Finland and Norway. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the discussions as positive, and Zelenskyy said Washington had reaffirmed its commitment to security guarantees for Kyiv.
A seat at every table
Zelenskyy welcomed the American engagement but attached a firm condition to any new format. Any agreement concerning Ukraine’s future, he said, would be acceptable only if Kyiv had a seat at the negotiating table, repeating the line that has anchored his diplomacy throughout the war: nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.
The Oslo encounter unfolded against a tense backdrop. Days earlier, Zelenskyy said Washington had briefly blocked missile intelligence sharing, a claim Rubio rejected, saying there had been no pause. The dispute over missile deliveries overshadowed the envoys’ arrival in the Norwegian capital.
Why a trilateral format matters
Bringing Beijing into the frame would mark a sharp departure from the bilateral and Western-led formats tried so far. China has positioned itself as a potential mediator while deepening economic ties with Moscow, and its presence could give any settlement wider enforcement weight. It would also complicate the politics: Kyiv has accused Beijing of materially supporting Russia’s war effort, a charge China denies.
For now the proposal remains just that, a proposal discussed between allies rather than a scheduled summit. Witkoff’s onward travel to Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin will test whether the Kremlin sees any value in a wider table, or prefers the familiar bilateral channel. Reporting on the Oslo talks noted that even the shape of future diplomacy is now openly contested, with Kyiv insisting no format can succeed without its direct participation.
