Zelenskyy discloses annual frontline figures, confirms readiness for trilateral summit with Trump and Putin
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, President Zelenskyy said Russia captured 890 km of Ukrainian territory in 2026 while Ukraine liberated 800 km, leaving roughly a 100 km net gain for Moscow. He also cited 270,000 Russian casualties this year and stated that "almost everything on the battlefield has stalled." Speaking after his 22 September meeting with Donald Trump in New York, Zelenskyy said he is ready to meet Putin with Trump's help, while the Kremlin's spokesman said there are no preconditions for a "peace track" and repeated that Zelenskyy could come to Moscow.
Key points
- Zelenskyy told the WSJ Russia seized 890 km of Ukrainian territory in 2026 and Ukraine recaptured 800 km, a net gain of about 100 km for Russia.
- Zelenskyy said Russian losses in 2026 totalled 270,000 personnel, and described the battlefield as "almost stalled."
- On 22 September in New York, Zelenskyy met US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
- Zelenskyy said he is ready to meet Putin and that Trump could help organise a trilateral meeting, hoping to end the war before winter.
- Trump said he is prepared to use the "Graham Act" on sanctions against Russia if needed and publicly called on Putin to "end the war."
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there are no preconditions for a "peace track," that Zelenskyy could come to Moscow for talks, and that a summit before expert-level work would be "a waste of time."
- Zelenskyy compared the 2026 figures to earlier Russian advances he previously estimated at 3,000–4,000 km per year and said the cost of capturing 100 km is "very high."
Why it matters
Zelenskyy publicly disclosed annual frontline figures that had not previously been broken down at this scale, including a 270,000 Russian casualty figure well above earlier public estimates. He also confirmed Ukraine's willingness to meet Putin in a Trump-brokered format, while the Kremlin rejected the premise of a "peace track" and floated Moscow as the venue — sending sharply opposite signals about how and where talks could happen.
What happened
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Zelenskyy said Russia captured 890 km of Ukrainian territory in 2026 and Ukraine recaptured 800 km, leaving a roughly 100 km net advance for Moscow. He put Russian losses this year at 270,000 personnel and said the front has largely stalled. He compared the 2026 rate to previous years, when he had estimated Russian advances at 3,000–4,000 km per year, and called the price of capturing 100 km "very high." He also said Putin's generals do not tell him the truth and that, for Putin, losing people in the war "is not a defeat." On 22 September in New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Zelenskyy met Trump and afterwards told a press conference that he is ready to meet Putin and that Trump could help organise a trilateral meeting, hoping to end the war before winter. Trump told reporters on arrival to "end the war" and said he is prepared to use the "Graham Act" on sanctions against Russia if necessary. Zelenskyy also said Trump no longer asked him to refrain from striking Russian oil refineries, and that Trump advised him to sort out Starlink-related issues directly with Elon Musk. The Kremlin's Dmitry Peskov, quoted by Interfax, said there are currently no prerequisites for moving onto a "peace track," that Zelenskyy "if he wants, can come to Moscow," and that a summit before expert-level work would be "a waste of time," while insisting the Kremlin remains "open to peace talks."
Where reporting differs
Zelenskyy says Ukraine is ready for a Trump-brokered trilateral summit and blames Moscow for the absence of a peace track. Peskov, speaking for the Kremlin, denies that preconditions for a peace track exist, suggests Zelenskyy could travel to Moscow for talks, and argues that a leaders' meeting before expert-level preparatory work would be "inexpedient."
Background
Zelenskyy had previously estimated earlier Russian territorial advances at 3,000–4,000 km per year, significantly above the 890 km figure he gave for 2026. His 22 September comments came at a press conference after talks with Trump in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, where Trump also publicly floated the "Graham Act" sanctions tool against Russia.