Zelensky and Trump agree to meet in New York after phone call; Trump presses on Russian oil strikes

Why it matters

The call produced a confirmed bilateral Zelensky–Trump meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, one of the main diplomatic stages of the year. It also surfaced a point of friction: Trump's reported demand that Ukraine stop strikes on Russian oil refineries, framed in terms of global diesel prices. Zelensky's public framing — calling the peace track 'priority number one' — indicates substantive agenda items beyond ceremony.

What happened

On the evening of 20 September, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a phone call with US President Donald Trump. During the conversation the two leaders agreed to hold a personal meeting in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, and Zelensky announced the agreement on Telegram and social media after the call.

In his public readout, Zelensky said the call was important, that 'many things were discussed', that 'diplomatic dynamics are present', and that the New York meeting 'can change a lot'. He called the 'peace track' priority number one and said there are ideas on de-escalation steps and on fundamental security issues — energy, food, and the protection of people's lives. He added that Ukraine is working with the American team and is ready to take 'really serious steps'.

Zelensky used the call to thank Trump for two things: the 6 September visit to Kyiv of US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and Trump's signing of the Lindsey Graham law, which provides for new sanctions against Russia. Zelensky also said he and the envoys had gone through 'substantive details' during their visit and that the envoys had seen the situation in Ukraine firsthand.

According to Axios, citing sources familiar with the call, Trump repeatedly asked Zelensky to stop Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, linking them to rising global diesel prices, and the word 'diesel' was said to have been mentioned many times during the conversation. Head of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service and chief negotiator Rustem Umerov told Axios he had been working with White House envoys in recent days to organize the meeting, which is expected to take place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

How Ukrainian sources describe it

Ukrainian outlets led heavily with the announcement of the agreed New York meeting and Zelensky's optimistic framing — that it 'can change a lot', that 'diplomatic dynamics are there', and that the peace track is 'priority number one'. They prominently featured Zelensky's gratitude to Trump for the 6 September Witkoff and Kushner visit and for signing the Lindsey Graham sanctions law, presenting the call as a confirmation of US–Ukraine solidarity. At the same time, several Ukrainian outlets — drawing on Axios reporting — gave significant attention to Trump's reported demand that Ukraine stop striking Russian oil refineries and his linkage to rising global diesel prices, framing it as a point of pressure from Washington.

How international sources describe it

International coverage (English-, French- and German-language media) focused mainly on the headline announcement that Zelensky and Trump had agreed to meet in New York, with less emphasis on the sanctions law or the Witkoff/Kushner visit. The French-language live coverage framed the call primarily as an update in the wider 'war in Ukraine' storyline, with the New York meeting presented as the next diplomatic milestone around the UN General Assembly.

Where reporting differs

Sources differ on the timing of the planned New York meeting: some give 21–22 September, others 21–23 September, and several point specifically to Tuesday 22 September.

Background

US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Moscow and then Kyiv on 6 September for talks with Zelensky, after which Zelensky said the American side had presented 'valuable ideas' on ending the war and Ukraine confirmed its readiness to work on restoring a Ukraine–US–Russia trilateral format. The previous Trump–Zelensky bilateral meeting took place at the White House on 28 July, where the leaders agreed to intensify negotiations at all levels. On 8 September Zelensky said he expected to meet Trump in the 20s of September and wanted to discuss anti-ballistic defence for Ukraine; on 14 September he said he planned to raise a maritime and energy ceasefire with Trump in New York. On 10 September Zelensky said a trilateral Ukraine–US–Russia meeting would not happen before Russian parliamentary elections scheduled for 20 September. On 12 September the head of the Office of the President, Kyrylo Budanov, said a new round of trilateral peace talks could be held in October; the same day Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow was ready for talks but would not stop combat operations during them. As of 19 September, two Ukrainian officials cited by Suspilne said the bilateral Trump–Zelensky meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly had not yet been confirmed.