Zelenskyy names UAE, Switzerland and Turkey as possible sites for next Ukraine–US–Russia trilateral talks
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on September 8 that the next trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the United States and Russia could take place this autumn in the UAE, Switzerland or Turkey, with energy, grain and prisoner exchanges on the agenda. He described energy as a "painful" issue on which Kyiv is ready to compromise, but said a decision on holding the meeting has not yet been made.
Key points
- Zelenskyy said on September 8 that the next trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the US and Russia could take place in the UAE, Switzerland or Turkey, possibly as early as this month.
- Energy, grain and prisoner exchanges are the topics he named for the agenda.
- Zelenskyy said Ukraine is ready for compromises on energy, which he called a "painful" question for Kyiv and for Russia, India, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other countries.
- He said Ukraine and the US are moving toward a trilateral format, but stressed that a decision on holding the meeting has not yet been made.
- Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet President Donald Trump in September before working on preparing the trilateral meeting.
- US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Putin in Moscow on September 5 and visited Kyiv on September 6, reporting "substantial progress" though the Kremlin described no concrete breakthrough.
- Russia demands Ukrainian troop withdrawal from all of Donbas; Kyiv rejects this and any territorial concessions.
Why it matters
The trilateral format is the principal diplomatic channel aimed at ending the Russia–Ukraine war, and Zelenskyy's public naming of candidate host countries and a possible autumn window signals that a new summit is genuinely on the table. His framing of energy as a "painful" issue on which Kyiv is willing to compromise indicates what Ukraine is prepared to put forward, while Russia's demand for full Ukrainian withdrawal from Donbas and the US proposal for a free economic zone there remain the key unresolved sticking points. The back-to-back visits of US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow on September 5 and Kyiv on September 6 set the immediate backdrop, and Zelenskyy's insistence that the meeting produce concrete outcomes — rather than talks for their own sake — sets an explicit standard for any gathering that does occur.
What happened
Speaking to journalists on September 8, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the next trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the United States and Russia could be held this autumn in the UAE, Switzerland or Turkey, possibly as early as September if all sides agree. He named energy, grain and prisoner exchanges as the topics on the agenda, called energy a "painful" issue not only for Kyiv but also for Russia, India, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other countries, and said Ukraine is ready to compromise on it. Zelenskyy said he plans to meet US President Donald Trump in September before the parties move toward a trilateral meeting, and stressed that the meeting should produce concrete results rather than discussions alone. He also identified prisoner exchanges as a separate humanitarian priority that should be increased and sped up, and noted that Ukraine has already made many compromises. He did not disclose further details on the meeting's preparation, saying the sides need to prepare agreements before communicating them publicly. The comments came against the backdrop of US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner's visits to Russia on September 5 and Ukraine on September 6, after which they reported "substantial progress" though the Kremlin described the meeting as "extremely important" and "useful" without announcing a concrete breakthrough.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian-language outlets centre Zelenskyy's remarks and uniformly name the UAE, Switzerland and Turkey as candidate hosts, with several specifying an autumn or September window. Headlines consistently foreground Kyiv's readiness to compromise on energy as the "painful" question and stress the expectation that the meeting yield concrete results, not just discussions. Ukrainian media also highlight the humanitarian track — increasing and speeding up prisoner exchanges — alongside energy and grain as the three pillars of the agenda.
How international sources describe it
The single English-language source in the supplied material, from Azerbaijan, reports more briefly that Russia hopes trilateral talks on Ukraine will resume, emphasising Moscow's posture rather than the agenda items or Kyiv's compromise framing. International coverage in the supplied material does not specify candidate host countries, the autumn/September timing, or the energy compromise line that dominates Ukrainian reporting.
Where reporting differs
Zelenskyy's framing of a possible autumn or September timing for the trilateral meeting is not yet matched by a confirmed decision: the Kremlin described the Witkoff–Kushner meeting as "extremely important" and "useful" but reported no concrete breakthrough, and Zelenskyy himself said a decision on holding the meeting has not yet been made.
Background
Trilateral negotiations between Ukraine, the US and Russia were suspended after the start of the US–Israeli operation against Iran in February. US President Donald Trump made ending the Russia–Ukraine war a priority when he took office in January 2025, but no agreement has been reached yet. Russia demands that Ukrainian troops withdraw from the entire Donbas; Kyiv is categorically against any territorial concessions or troop withdrawal. The US has proposed creating a free economic zone in Donbas, with the details of its administration and security guarantees remaining unclear. During the US envoys' recent visits, Ukraine and Russia agreed not to strike each other's capitals until September 7. A source in French President Emmanuel Macron's administration said the US envoys suggested that after the Russian State Duma elections, Moscow may show a "new readiness" for negotiations, and the Kyiv Independent reported that Trump may have a phone call with Putin after being briefed on the envoys' talks.