Zelensky says he may meet Trump in New York to push for energy and Black Sea ceasefire
President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a telethon interview aired on September 14 that he may meet US President Donald Trump in New York on September 21–23 during the UN General Assembly high-level week. The talks would focus on an energy ceasefire and a pause in mutual strikes on the Black Sea ahead of winter, with Zelensky saying Ukraine is open to a maritime-plus-energy ceasefire even if Russia will not agree to a full end to the war.
Key points
- Zelensky raised the possibility of a New York meeting with Trump on September 21–23 during UN General Assembly high-level week.
- The proposed agenda includes an energy ceasefire and a pause in mutual strikes on the Black Sea before the winter heating season.
- Zelensky said Ukraine is open to a partial energy and grain ceasefire even if Putin will not agree to a full end to the war.
- The meeting would follow a recent Kyiv visit by Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner alongside UK, French and German security advisers, and a September 8 Trump–Putin phone call.
- Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on September 10 that talks on a possible energy ceasefire with Ukraine are not currently being held, and declined to answer when asked whether Moscow would guarantee an end to strikes on Ukrainian energy.
- Zelensky noted India, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and others are raising the Black Sea blockade because their markets are affected.
- Head of the Office of the President Kyrylo Budanov said a new round of peace talks could take place in early October.
Why it matters
A Zelensky–Trump meeting during UNGA could produce a partial ceasefire covering energy infrastructure and the Black Sea ahead of winter, which Zelensky has framed as a fallback if Putin will not agree to a full end to the war. The Kremlin's signal that it is not currently holding talks on such a ceasefire points to Russian resistance to the initiative Zelensky is pushing.
What happened
President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a Yedyni Novyny telethon interview aired on September 14 that he may meet US President Donald Trump in New York on September 21–23 during the UN General Assembly high-level week. The proposed agenda is an energy ceasefire with Russia and a pause in mutual strikes on the Black Sea ahead of the winter heating season. Zelensky said Ukraine is open to a maritime-plus-energy ceasefire and would discuss it with Trump if the New York trip works out. He added that if Putin will not agree to a full ceasefire, at least a grain and energy ceasefire is needed. He also said countries including India, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and others are raising the Black Sea blockade because their markets are being affected.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
The three supplied Ukrainian-language outlets center Zelensky's push for a New York meeting with Trump and frame the energy and maritime ceasefire as Ukraine's diplomatic initiative. They highlight international demand for a Black Sea grain corridor, foreground Peskov's refusal to answer whether Moscow would guarantee an energy ceasefire, and emphasize the Witkoff–Kushner Kyiv visit alongside British, French and German security advisers as multilateral engagement. The coverage stresses Zelensky's conditional readiness — accepting a partial energy and grain ceasefire if Putin will not agree to a full end to the war — and projects optimism through Zelensky's references to hope and a revived diplomatic process in September and October.
Where reporting differs
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on September 10 that talks about a possible energy ceasefire with Ukraine are not currently being held, and when asked whether Moscow would guarantee an end to strikes on Ukrainian energy if Ukraine halted attacks on Russian oil refineries, declined to answer. That stance directly contradicts Zelensky's stated willingness to discuss and pursue such a ceasefire.
Background
Russia has blocked Ukraine's access to the Black Sea and Ukraine has responded by blocking Russia's access, a situation Zelensky calls a fair response and which he says is being raised by India, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and others whose markets are affected. Trump's special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Putin in Russia on September 5, visited Ukraine on September 6, and after the trip said there are new ideas for ending the war but that they do not know whether Putin is ready for real negotiations. Head of the Office of the President Kyrylo Budanov said a new round of peace talks could take place in early October. Zelensky has previously said he is ready to meet Putin at a G20 summit in December in Miami. Earlier Ukraine proposed to Russia, via American intermediaries, to halt strikes on energy infrastructure; Putin did not support the initiative. Since the start of 2026 Ukraine has carried out more than 70 strikes on Russian oil refineries, after which Moscow limited diesel exports until January 31, 2027.