Zelenskyy Hopes US Can Bring Russia to the Table, Backs Trilateral Summit
Zelenskyy says he hopes the US can draw Russia into talks, backs a trilateral meeting with Trump and Putin, and presses for Patriot interceptor production.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he hopes the United States can find a way to bring Russia to the negotiating table, speaking in New York after a meeting with US President Donald Trump.
Zelenskyy said he could not be certain of Russia's position, but that any willingness to talk would itself be a signal of movement. "Any kind of negotiations from Russian side, it will give a signal that they are ready to move, because I'm not sure that they ready to move," he told reporters.
He described a trilateral meeting involving himself, Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin as the most significant step the US president could take, saying such a format would let leaders raise sensitive issues directly and try to end the war. Asked whether he was prepared to meet Putin, Zelenskyy replied that he was ready.
On air defence, Zelenskyy said Ukraine still needs licences to begin preparing production of Patriot missile interceptors. He said his military adviser, Brigadier General Pavlo Palisa, had spoken with Raytheon that morning and that the company was ready, adding that he had asked Trump for help in moving the process quickly and that the US president was positive about the licences.
Zelenskyy also said Trump had committed to doing everything he could to help end the war. The talks in New York followed overnight Russian missile and drone strikes on at least four Ukrainian regions, which officials said killed five people.
Turning to the battlefield, Zelenskyy said Putin was not winning and faced pressure from Russian society, arguing that heavy casualties without victories were difficult to justify at home. He warned that the risk of drone, missile or ground operations against countries bordering Russia or Belarus remained high, and said such states should always respond, warning that inaction would invite further moves.
Putin is not scheduled to attend this year's UN General Assembly. Asked about a possible Zelenskyy-Putin-Trump meeting at the G20 gathering in Florida in December, Trump was noncommittal.