On October 25, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced preparations for trilateral talks between Ukraine, the United States and Russia in November and proposed an energy ceasefire as a first step toward ending the war. He also explained his disagreements with Donald Trump over strikes on Russian oil refineries, Starlink restrictions and military assistance, stressing that Ukraine would not agree to limits on its armed forces or neutral status.
Zelenskyy made the remarks in an interview with Alla Mazur, host of “TSN.Tyzhden” (TSN Weekly), published on the evening of October 25.
Trilateral talks could take place in November
The president said Ukraine, the United States and Russia had agreed to hold a trilateral meeting at the technical level in November.
According to him, the agreement was reached following contacts between Ukrainian and American officials and a subsequent visit by US representatives to St. Petersburg.
Washington informed Kyiv that Russian President Vladimir Putin had also confirmed his readiness for talks.
Abu Dhabi, other capitals in the Middle East and European cities are being considered as possible venues. No final decision on the location has been made.
The main objective of the talks is to pave the way for a subsequent trilateral meeting involving the presidents of Ukraine, the United States and Russia.
Ukraine also wants to raise the issue of halting strikes on energy infrastructure and a possible ceasefire in the Black Sea.
Limits on Ukraine’s military and neutrality are not up for discussion
Zelenskyy emphasized that any future peace agreement must not include restrictions on Ukraine’s defense capabilities imposed by Russia.
The president said security guarantees must reflect Ukraine’s own interests rather than Moscow’s demands.
“Our security guarantees are our security guarantees. They cannot be dictated by the Russian side. So the conclusions are clear: restrictions on our army and Ukraine’s neutrality are not up for discussion,” Zelenskyy said.
He noted that he could not disclose all the details of the negotiations because of agreements with the American side.
Energy ceasefire would be first sign of Putin’s willingness to make peace
The president described an end to Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as one of the first practical steps that could demonstrate Moscow’s genuine willingness to end the war.
In his view, an energy ceasefire would show that Russia was prepared not only to talk about peace but also to implement concrete agreements.
If the Kremlin refuses to take such a step, Zelenskyy said other possible signals could include a meeting between the three countries’ leaders, agreements on ending hostilities, maritime security and prisoner exchanges.
The Ukrainian president explained that Kyiv was ready to stop striking Russian oil infrastructure if Moscow halted its attacks on Ukraine’s electricity infrastructure.
Why Ukraine continues striking Russian oil refineries
Zelenskyy responded to Donald Trump’s criticism of Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries.
According to the president, these attacks are a response to Russia’s systematic destruction of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
He explained that strikes on power plants and electricity networks were particularly damaging to Ukraine, while attacks on oil facilities inflicted significant losses on Russia.
The president described this as a matter of fairness and emphasized that Moscow must respect Ukraine’s strength.
Zelenskyy also rejected Trump’s claim that Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries were responsible for rising global oil prices.
Starlink and Patriot: What Zelenskyy proposed to the US
The president said he had offered American partners three options for responding to Russian attacks.
The first involves a mutual halt to attacks on energy infrastructure: Russia would stop targeting Ukraine’s electricity infrastructure, and Ukraine would stop striking Russian oil facilities.
The second option concerns the use of Starlink on Russian territory. Zelenskyy said Ukraine was ready to identify specific areas where Russian ballistic missile launchers are located and where satellite connectivity would be needed to counter those threats.
According to him, Kyiv is not asking for Starlink access throughout Russia but is proposing that connectivity be enabled only in areas where it is necessary to counter Russian missile threats.
As a third option, the president proposed supplying Ukraine with additional interceptor missiles for US-made Patriot air defense systems if Starlink access inside Russia could not be expanded.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine had not received the expected decisions on additional Patriot missiles or expanded Starlink access.
Instead, according to him, the speed of the satellite connection already used by Ukrainian forces had been restricted, while US sanctions against Russia’s energy sector had been eased.
Why Zelenskyy began responding more sharply to Trump
The president also explained the change in his public rhetoric toward his American counterpart.
He said diplomatic restraint usually helps secure agreements, but when decisions are needed urgently, he believes it is necessary to speak more directly.
Zelenskyy clarified that his sharper statements were primarily related to three issues: restoring intelligence sharing, Starlink service and the supply of air defense missiles.
The president acknowledged that he could not say with certainty whether his public stance had influenced Washington’s subsequent decisions.
However, he said that support had been restored in two of the three areas he had been trying to address.
Zelenskyy specifically thanked Trump for publicly announcing that he had spoken with Elon Musk about restoring Starlink service for Ukraine.
The president stressed that he did not attribute the outcome solely to his own actions.
He also explained that he makes decisions about public statements after consulting his team and considers the results achieved to be a collective effort.
Sanctions against Russia must not be lifted before negotiations
Zelenskyy also focused on the need to maintain international pressure on Russia.
The president said he would not want Western partners to lift all sanctions against Moscow before a possible meeting between the leaders of Ukraine, the United States and Russia.
In his view, prematurely removing restrictions would weaken Ukraine’s negotiating position and deprive its partners of leverage over the Kremlin.
Zelenskyy recalled that sanctions had been imposed in response to Russian aggression, not as measures that could simply be abandoned for the sake of starting negotiations.
He also identified financial support for Ukraine and frozen Russian assets as important tools of pressure.
The president expressed particular concern about the US administration’s decision to ease restrictions related to Russian diesel fuel.
Zelenskyy fears that Washington’s move could encourage European countries to reconsider their own sanctions policies toward Russia.
That is why, he said, Ukraine is seeking to coordinate its position with European partners and prevent any further weakening of pressure on Moscow.
The president emphasized that Ukraine must preserve every available tool to defend its interests, both on the battlefield and at the negotiating table.
