Zelenskyy urges Trump to involve Xi in ending the war, says he is ready to meet Putin
At a press conference in New York on 22 September, following talks with US President Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy advised Trump to bring Xi Jinping into efforts to end the war, arguing that the Chinese leader has influence over Vladimir Putin. The appeal came a day before Trump was scheduled to meet Xi at Joint Base Andrews. Zelenskyy also said he was ready to meet Putin directly and that Trump could help organise a trilateral meeting.
Key points
- Zelenskyy held a press conference in New York on 22 September, after meeting Trump the same day.
- Zelenskyy advised Trump to involve Chinese leader Xi Jinping in efforts to end the war, saying Xi has influence over Putin.
- Trump was scheduled to meet Xi Jinping at Joint Base Andrews on 23 September.
- Zelenskyy said he is ready to meet Russian ruler Vladimir Putin and that Trump could help organise a trilateral meeting.
- Zelenskyy said the US will transmit Ukraine's proposal for an energy ceasefire to the Russians.
- Zelenskyy said Trump is "positively disposed" toward giving Ukraine licences to produce Patriot missiles.
- Zelenskyy said Europeans are openly speaking about a growing risk of Russian aggression against other countries and that Putin is trying to intimidate them.
Why it matters
The appeal to bring China into Ukraine diplomacy is a notable expansion of the cast of would-be mediators, and Zelenskyy timed it to land the day before Trump's scheduled meeting with Xi at Joint Base Andrews. Zelenskyy's stated openness to a direct meeting with Putin, and to a trilateral format, signals that Kyiv is willing to test new diplomatic tracks. The press conference also surfaced concrete items beyond messaging: a US channel for Ukraine's energy ceasefire proposal and what Zelenskyy described as Trump's positive disposition toward licences for Ukraine to produce Patriot missiles.
What happened
Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Donald Trump in New York on 22 September and then spoke to reporters at a press conference. He urged Trump to involve Chinese leader Xi Jinping in efforts to end it, saying Xi has influence over Putin and that all parties must work on it around the clock for the sake of people. Zelenskyy said he was ready to meet Putin directly and that Trump could help organise a trilateral meeting. He added that the United States would transmit Ukraine's proposal on an energy ceasefire to the Russians, and that Trump was "positively disposed" toward giving Ukraine licences to produce Patriot missiles. He also said Europeans are openly speaking for the first time about a growing risk of Russian aggression against other countries and accused Putin of trying to intimidate them. Trump's meeting with Xi at Joint Base Andrews was scheduled for 23 September.
Background
Zelenskyy's New York press conference followed his meeting with Trump on 22 September.