Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after his meeting with US President Donald Trump in New York that the main topic of the talks was a possible energy ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. According to him, Kyiv is ready to halt strikes on Russian energy facilities if Moscow stops attacking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Zelenskyy made the statement during a media briefing.
“We are ready for an energy ceasefire if Russia does not attack our energy infrastructure,” the Ukrainian president said.
According to Zelenskyy, the meeting with Trump did not involve any request for Ukraine to unilaterally stop strikes on Russian territory. He stressed that the discussion focused on mutual steps to reduce tensions.
“If Russia does not want Ukraine to attack oil refining facilities, Russia should not attack our energy system,” Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy says he is ready to meet Putin
The Ukrainian president also said that Donald Trump could organize a trilateral meeting involving Ukraine, the United States and Russia, where leaders could discuss the most sensitive issues and try to end the war.
“Trump can organize a trilateral meeting, where all the sensitive issues leaders can raise and try to end the war,” Zelenskyy said.
He added that he is ready to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at any time.
At the same time, Zelenskyy said he was not certain that Russia was ready for negotiations. According to him, pressure on Moscow requires not only the United States and European countries, but also China.
“If Trump also involves Chinese President Xi Jinping, he will have influence on Putin,” Zelenskyy said.
Ukraine seeks to produce Patriot missiles
Another topic was defence cooperation with the United States. Zelenskyy said Ukraine had requested licenses from Washington to produce interceptor missiles for Patriot air defence systems.
“We need licenses for Patriot production. Raytheon is ready. We asked the president to help us move quickly. He is positive about the licenses,” Zelenskyy said.
According to him, launching such production could take between one and one and a half years, but the project is important for the future.
Zelenskyy says Putin is not winning on the battlefield
Speaking about the war, the Ukrainian president said Russia is not achieving victories on the battlefield and that this creates a domestic political problem for Putin.
“Putin is not winning on the battlefield. For him, it is a problem because he has to explain it to his domestic society,” Zelenskyy said.
According to Zelenskyy, the issue for the Russian leader is not about Ukraine or the United States, but about explaining the consequences of the war to Russian citizens.
“When you have one million people on the battlefield on the territory of another country, who are dying — thousands per month — how can you explain what it is for if you don’t have any victories?” Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian president also noted that his talks with Trump focused on further steps toward ending the war and possible diplomatic solutions.
Earlier, it was reported that during the meeting in New York, Zelenskyy and Trump discussed further steps toward ending the war, a possible energy ceasefire and support for Ukraine ahead of the winter period. Trump said afterward that the talks were “very productive” and that Washington had “a good opportunity to make a deal.”
