Zelensky declares Ukraine ready for energy, grain and maritime ceasefires as Russia rejects energy proposal

Why it matters

The New York meeting was the highest-level US-Ukraine contact during UN General Assembly week and set the trajectory for war-ending diplomacy in the weeks ahead. By publicly committing to reciprocal limited ceasefires in energy, grain and maritime domains, Ukraine narrowed the space of acceptable settlement frameworks and signalled where compromises are possible. Russia's rejection of the energy ceasefire, combined with Lavrov's refusal to pause its war 'in any format' and Putin's reiteration of maximalist aims, indicates that Moscow has not adjusted its negotiating position. The formal US invitation to Putin for the December G20 summit in Miami exposes transatlantic divisions over whether Russia's participation can be turned into a venue for a real trilateral meeting or will simply legitimise Moscow while the war continues.

What happened

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump met in New York on 22 September 2026 on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly session to discuss possible paths to de-escalate the Russia-Ukraine war. Zelensky described the meeting as 'positive' and 'productive,' and said both the US and Ukraine want the war to end before winter. On 23 September, after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the UNGA sidelines, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said both Ukraine and Russia had expressed interest in a limited ceasefire covering energy and grain, and Zelensky confirmed Ukraine was ready for any format of energy ceasefire on condition of reciprocity. Three types of ceasefire — energy, grain and maritime — are under discussion, with Egypt, Turkey, the UAE and India reported as also interested in a maritime arrangement.

The same day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov answered 'absolutely' when asked whether Western statements on an energy ceasefire were merely rhetoric, and Lavrov said at a UN Security Council meeting that Russia will not pause its 'SVO' for negotiations 'in any format.' Putin reiterated that Russian forces can achieve all of Moscow's war aims on the battlefield. The Institute for the Study of War concluded on 23 September that Russia effectively rejected the US-Ukraine energy ceasefire proposal and remains committed to maximalist demands.

Zelensky declared that the 'Anchorage understandings' — proposals from the August 2025 Trump-Putin summit that would have recognised Russian sovereignty over Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk and parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — are no longer part of negotiations, and credited the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the most significant role in removing them. Rubio separately said the Anchorage understandings were unacceptable to Ukraine and would be even more unacceptable now, and that peace would require 'new ideas' and 'new concepts.'

The prospect of a leaders-level trilateral was left to the G20 summit in Miami on 14–15 December. Rubio announced the US had officially invited Putin, and Zelensky said the G20 format creates opportunities for a trilateral meeting with a real result and that Ukraine would support the format if an agreement is reached. Peskov said Russia was grateful for the invitation and would decide through diplomatic channels, but Bloomberg reported Putin is likely to skip the Miami summit and instead attend the APEC forum in China. Another report said Putin rejected Zelensky's proposal for talks on the G20 sidelines.

US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are taking a couple of weeks' break to hold talks with Russia and partners on possible formats for ending the war. Zelensky said he had not seen any written documents from the negotiations, and that the parties agreed not to discuss them publicly until there is feedback from the Russian side. The Ukrainian delegation included head of the Office of the President Kyrylo Budanov, Foreign Intelligence Service head Rustem Umerov, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, Servant of the People faction head David Arakhamia and deputy head of the Office of the President Pavlo Palisa; the US delegation included Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Witkoff and Kushner. After the presidents met, Ukrainian and US negotiating teams also met in New York.

How Ukrainian sources describe it

Ukrainian sources framed Zelensky's announcements as a clear conditional offer: Ukraine is ready for any format of energy, grain or maritime ceasefire on the condition of reciprocity, while Russia is cast as unwilling to negotiate and committed to maximalist aims. Zelensky declared the 'spirit of Anchorage' — which would have entailed recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea and occupied oblasts — is no longer part of the talks, and credited Ukraine's Armed Forces with the most significant role in removing it. Zelensky said Ukraine will not trade territory, independence or freedom for a deal and warned that if Russia refuses negotiations Kyiv will ask Trump to use a new sanctions bill co-authored by Senator Lindsey Graham. Zelensky also expressed skepticism about Putin's stated readiness for a trilateral, contrasting US envoys Witkoff and Kushner's optimism with his own doubts. Diplomatic commentator Kostiantyn Yeliseyev, speaking on Radio NV, framed Trump's engagement as driven by the upcoming US midterm congressional elections and noted that there was no concrete substance in the New York meeting's results.

Where reporting differs

Four substantive disagreements run through the reporting. First, whether a trilateral Ukraine-US-Russia meeting on the energy ceasefire actually took place in New York on 24 September is disputed: ZN.UA reported a planned meeting with named participants (Budanov, Umerov, Kushner, Witkoff, Dmitriev), while the Office of the President of Ukraine said the Ukrainian delegation was already returning home and that media outlets had no sources in the delegation. Second, whether the parties had agreed to an energy ceasefire is disputed: Trump said on 14 September that Ukraine and Russia had agreed not to strike each other's energy facilities, while Zelensky and other reports state Ukraine's commitment is conditional on reciprocity and that no binding agreement exists. Third, whether Russia expressed interest in a limited energy/grain ceasefire is disputed: Rubio said on 23 September that both sides expressed interest, while Peskov's response and ISW analysis concluded that Russia effectively rejected the energy proposal and remains committed to maximalist war aims. Fourth, Putin's participation at the G20 summit in Miami is disputed: Rubio said the US officially invited Putin and hoped he would attend; Peskov said Russia is grateful and will decide through diplomatic channels; Bloomberg reported Putin is likely to skip the Miami summit and attend APEC in China; another report said Putin rejected Zelensky's proposal for talks on the G20 sidelines.

Background

The UN General Assembly took place in New York on 22-23 September 2026, providing the setting for the Trump-Zelensky meeting and the Rubio-Lavrov meeting. Earlier rounds of US-brokered talks between Ukraine, Russia and the US took place in Abu Dhabi in early 2026, with the last trilateral delegation-level meeting held in February before the war with Iran. The 'Anchorage understandings' or '3+2' format refers to proposals discussed at a Trump-Putin summit in Anchorage in August 2025 that would have recognised Russian sovereignty over Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk and parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.