Zelenskyy Calls US Peace Ideas 'Worthwhile', Eyes Trump Meeting

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described the latest peace proposals brought by US envoys as "worthwhile," signalling a cautious opening for renewed diplomacy. Speaking after talks in Kyiv with Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, Zelenskyy said a couple of the ideas presented were genuinely promising, though he declined to share details publicly.

"We agreed with the Americans that we would first work on them and only then communicate them publicly," he said, adding that Kyiv would examine the proposals closely before forming a response.

The US envoys shuttled between Moscow and Kyiv over the weekend for separate discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy. While no breakthrough was announced, the Ukrainian leader expressed hope for a trilateral dialogue involving Ukraine, Russia, and the United States in the autumn.

Zelenskyy also confirmed he expects to meet US President Donald Trump around September 20, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. At that meeting, he intends to press for additional Patriot air defence systems to counter Russian ballistic missile strikes.

The appeal comes after a night of intense Russian attacks on Kyiv, which Zelenskyy said involved roughly 180 aerial targets. Ukrainian forces intercepted over 90 percent of them, including all but one cruise missile. Despite the successful defence, Zelenskyy stressed that more ballistic missile interceptors are urgently needed ahead of winter.

He also mentioned Ukraine's domestic FREYJA air defence programme, which Kyiv hopes Washington will support. "Together with the Europeans, we will definitely achieve the desired result," he asserted, while acknowledging that American-supplied systems remain critical in the interim.