Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he will meet with US President Donald Trump in New York this week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Zelensky disclosed this after a phone conversation with Trump on Sunday, as Washington intensifies efforts to broker an agreement that would see Russia and Ukraine take reciprocal measures to reduce tensions and return to negotiations.
The proposed meeting is expected to take place on Tuesday, according to Ukrainian chief negotiator and Foreign Intelligence Service head Rustem Umerov, who said he had been working with White House representatives to arrange the talks.
The meeting comes days after Trump signed a bill imposing sanctions on Russia and approved the largest arms deal between the United States and Ukraine since he returned to office, two measures Kyiv had reportedly been seeking for months.
Describing his conversation with Trump, Zelensky said there was renewed diplomatic momentum towards ending the conflict.
“An important conversation, and we got through a lot. We agreed to meet in New York, and this meeting could change a lot. There is diplomatic momentum,” Zelensky wrote on X.
He added that Ukraine was prepared “to take really serious steps” as part of efforts to secure a de-escalation agreement with Russia.
Behind the discussions, Trump also raised concerns about Ukraine’s attacks on Russian oil facilities, according to a source familiar with the phone call.
The source said Trump repeatedly asked Zelensky to stop targeting Russian oil refineries, arguing that the attacks were contributing to higher global diesel prices.
“The word diesel came up many times during the call,” the source said.
Meanwhile, Umerov dismissed reports that Kyiv had become increasingly frustrated with White House special envoy Steve Witkoff.
The claim emerged after Witkoff and Trump’s adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, visited Kyiv for the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Umerov rejected the report, saying those involved directly in the negotiations were better placed to assess the work of the American representatives.
“I believe that the work of American negotiators should be assessed by people who are directly involved in the negotiation process and work closely with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner,” he said.
He said he had worked with Witkoff and Kushner daily over the past year, adding that their primary objective remained finding a way to end the war while securing guarantees and a better future for Ukrainians.
“Our main focus is on finding solutions for ending the war and gaining security guarantees and prosperity to Ukrainian people,” he added.
Umerov acknowledged that the negotiations had attracted intense attention from the public and media, which he said naturally brought criticism.
“Nevertheless, we need to stay focused. Steve has done a great job with us. We do not waste time and stay focused on finding solutions,” he said.
He also said the negotiations had recorded notable progress, with the number of major disagreements reportedly falling significantly.
“In particular, the number of stumbling blocks reduced from dozens to essentially one or two key issues that remain subject to negotiations,” Umerov said.
He described the overall direction of the negotiations as positive, saying Washington remained strongly committed to ending the conflict.
“The trend is positive. The U.S. is super focused on the issue of stopping the war in Ukraine. The U.S. understands the situation on the battlefield, and signals to everyone that this terrible war should end,” he said.
However, the diplomatic efforts are taking place amid continued escalation on the battlefield, with Russia and Ukraine carrying out increasingly frequent long-range attacks.
Ukraine launched a missile strike on Moscow on Sunday and also struck an oil refinery, while Russia has continued missile attacks on Kyiv and other major Ukrainian cities in recent weeks.
Although Moscow has indicated that it may be willing to consider measures aimed at reducing tensions before winter and has expressed openness to restarting trilateral negotiations involving Russia, the US and Ukraine, the talks have yet to produce a concrete agreement.
