h.ua

Published · Updated

Zelensky speaks with Trump's envoys Witkoff and Kushner on air defence and diplomacy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke by phone on Sunday, 18 October, with US President Donald Trump's representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The two sides discussed the results of a recent Ukrainian-US meeting in Florida, ongoing Russian shelling, air defence cooperation, and next steps in diplomacy. Zelensky announced the call via social media and said Ukraine remains ready to work constructively for a real result.

Key points

  • Zelensky spoke by phone on Sunday, 18 October with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
  • The parties discussed the results of a recent meeting between Ukrainian and US teams in Florida.
  • Zelensky said Ukrainian and US teams are in constant communication and preparing next steps in diplomacy.
  • Air defence (ППО) was on the agenda; Zelensky said much depends on the US position.
  • Zelensky said Ukraine is constantly informing partners about Russian shelling, which he said does not stop for a minute.
  • Zelensky stated that Ukraine is ready to work constructively, honestly, and toward a real result.
  • Zelensky said everyone except Russia has been waiting for peace for over four and a half years.

Why it matters

The call represents direct contact between Ukraine's president and senior US envoys during an active phase of US-mediated diplomacy. It came shortly after a Florida meeting between Ukrainian and US teams, suggesting follow-through on prior engagement. Air defence, a critical Ukrainian vulnerability against Russian missile and drone strikes, was a central topic. Zelensky used the occasion to press for results, framing Russia's continued shelling and the more than four-and-a-half-year duration of the war as reasons for urgency.

What happened

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke by phone on Sunday, 18 October, with US President Donald Trump's representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Zelensky announced the conversation via social media. The two sides discussed the results of a recent meeting between Ukrainian and US teams in Florida. Zelensky said the parties are preparing next steps and that Ukrainian and US teams remain in constant communication. The conversation also covered the situation on the front, which he characterised as not stopping for a minute, and the question of air defence, which Zelensky said depends heavily on the US position. Zelensky stressed that Ukraine remains ready to work constructively, honestly, and for a real result, and said peace comes only through strength and cooperation built on trust.

How Ukrainian sources describe it

Ukrainian outlets led with Zelensky's social-media announcement and quoted him at length. They emphasised Russia's ongoing shelling, framed the air-defence question as dependent on the US position, and highlighted Ukraine's readiness to work for a 'real result'. Ukrainian-language coverage gave more detail on the recent Florida meeting as a backdrop and on intelligence-sharing tensions with the US, presenting the call as a continuation of constant Ukrainian-US communication.

How international sources describe it

The single English-language international source from Azerbaijan reported the call more briefly, noting the conversation between Zelensky and Trump's envoys without elaborating on air defence, intelligence-sharing tensions, or Zelensky's broader statements about Russia and peace.

Where reporting differs

Sources differ on the status of US intelligence sharing with Ukraine. Reports described earlier threats from Witkoff and Kushner during the Florida negotiations to halt intelligence sharing over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, and Zelensky's 14 October NPR interview confirmed that warnings and threats had been received but not yet carried out at that time. On 18 October, the same day as the phone call, Zelensky stated that the United States had resumed providing Ukraine with critically important intelligence for defence against Russian missile strikes.

Background

Earlier in October, Zelensky had told NPR that the Ukrainian military had received warnings and threats from the US side regarding intelligence sharing linked to strikes on Russian oil refineries, but said those threats had not been carried out at the time. Reports from the Florida negotiations indicated that Witkoff and Kushner presented several possible mechanisms for unblocking Russian assets, including their transfer to a new financial mechanism under US oversight, and allegedly threatened to halt intelligence sharing over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries. On the same day as the call, Zelensky stated that the United States had resumed providing Ukraine with critically important intelligence information to defend against Russian missile strikes.