Trump's published UNGA schedule lists no bilateral meeting with Zelensky
US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz has published the schedule for Donald Trump's 21–22 September visit to New York for the UN General Assembly, and the list of planned bilateral meetings does not include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. As of 19 September, two anonymous Ukrainian officials told Suspilne that a Trump–Zelensky meeting had still not been confirmed, even though both sides had earlier pointed to a September meeting in New York.
Key points
- US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz published Trump's schedule for his 21–22 September visit to New York.
- Zelensky is not on the list of leaders with whom Trump plans to hold bilateral meetings on the UNGA sidelines.
- Trump is scheduled to arrive in New York on the afternoon of 21 September and attend political events at Trump Tower that evening.
- On 22 September Trump is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly and then meet bilaterally with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
- Trump is also scheduled to meet with the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and with acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez.
- Trump is scheduled to return to the White House on the evening of 22 September.
- As of 19 September a Trump–Zelensky bilateral had not been confirmed, according to two anonymous Ukrainian officials cited by Suspilne.
Why it matters
The published schedule puts a Trump–Zelensky meeting in doubt just days before Trump's New York trip, even though Kyiv and the White House had earlier pointed to a September sit-down, including on a possible 'winter package' on ballistic defense. At the same time, the bilaterals that are on the schedule — with the UK, Japan, the GCC and Venezuela's acting president — show which relationships the US side is prioritizing during UNGA week.
What happened
US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz published Donald Trump's schedule for his 21–22 September visit to New York, where the US president is to take part in the UN General Assembly. The schedule lists no bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump is to arrive in New York on the afternoon of 21 September and attend political events at Trump Tower that evening. On 22 September he is to deliver a speech at the UN General Assembly and then hold bilateral meetings with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham; meetings with the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council and with acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez are also on the calendar. Trump is to return to the White House on the evening of 22 September. Two anonymous Ukrainian officials told Suspilne that as of 19 September a Trump–Zelensky bilateral had still not been confirmed.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All five supplied Ukrainian-language outlets lead with the absence of Zelensky from the published Trump schedule, treating it as a notable gap given that the Ukrainian side had earlier said a meeting was being prepared. They give prominence to the Waltz-published schedule as the concrete evidence that no bilateral is currently on the calendar, and several cite anonymous Ukrainian officials via Suspilne confirming that the meeting had not been confirmed as of 19 September.
Background
The 81st session of the UN General Assembly began on 8 September, with its general debate running from 22 to 28 September. On 8 September Zelensky said he expected to meet Trump in the 20s of September to discuss ballistic defense and a possible 'winter package' against ballistic threats; the same day the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry confirmed a preliminary agreement on a Zelensky–Trump meeting and named the opening of the 81st UNGA in New York as one possible venue. On 16 September Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi said the two sides were still working on preparing the meeting. According to Waltz, Trump's planned UNGA speech is to cover peace agreements being worked on by his administration, preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, results of his administration's first year including in the Western Hemisphere, and progress on the 20-point Gaza peace plan.