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The Trump administration is pushing for three immediate steps to de-escalate the war in Ukraine and restart diplomacy with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Axios: a ceasefire on energy infrastructure, reopening the Black Sea grain corridor, and a trilateral U.S.-Russia-Ukraine meeting, possibly in Abu Dhabi.
"On the table now there is a proposition: energy ceasefire. We are ready," Zelenskyy said, adding that the proposal for a mutual halt to strikes on energy infrastructure came from the U.S.
Trump's immediate priority is a deal to halt Ukrainian attacks on Russian diesel fuel, which have contributed to punishing prices in the U.S. and globally. But after several days of diplomacy on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA), an energy ceasefire looks elusive, and it remains unclear whether Russian President Vladimir Putin wants one.
Putin envoy Kirill Dmitriev was set to arrive in New York Thursday to meet Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to discuss the latest U.S. proposals, according to a source with direct knowledge cited by Axios.
Zelenskyy spoke with Trump on Tuesday in New York about ending the war and a possible energy ceasefire; later that day, Witkoff and Kushner met with Ukraine's negotiating team and national security advisers from France, the UK and Germany.
Zelenskyy said he told Trump he would prefer a trilateral meeting, with an energy ceasefire as one of its first concrete outcomes.
The U.S. raised the possibility of a technical-level meeting first rather than one at the leaders' level, floating Abu Dhabi as a possible venue.
"We are open, any country, any format," Zelenskyy said, adding that he told Trump December's G20 summit in Miami could also serve as an opportunity for a leader-level trilateral summit.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday, after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, that Trump had invited Putin to attend that summit.
The last U.S.-Ukraine-Russia meeting took place in February, before the Iran war began; negotiations have been largely frozen since. T
he current diplomatic push began three weeks ago when CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow, followed by Witkoff and Kushner's trips to Moscow and Kyiv, including a three-hour meeting with Putin on Sept. 5. Zelenskyy said the envoys were optimistic after that meeting.
"They said, 'We think that Putin is ready.' I said, 'Look, I'm not sure,'" Zelenskyy recalled, saying the envoys responded: "No, we are close." Zelenskyy said he remains skeptical that Putin will follow through and believes the Russian leader could find reasons to avoid a trilateral meeting with leaders present.
On Wednesday, the Kremlin said conditions are not yet right for resuming peace talks with Ukraine, and that no high-level meetings are imminent.
Minutes before Zelenskyy's Axios interview, Russia launched multiple ballistic missiles toward Kyiv, with Zelenskyy receiving updates on his phone throughout the conversation.
Lavrov, addressing the U.N. Security Council, said Russia had "reaffirmed its unconditional commitment to achieving the objectives of its special military operation," and suggested Moscow would not accept any temporary ceasefire.
"Europe, whatever it thinks, just wants to get a pause, and it wants to use it to pump the Kyiv regime with weapons," Lavrov told the council.
Zelenskyy said Trump was "very positive" about the diplomatic push during their Tuesday meeting.
"We will try," Trump told him, according to Zelenskyy, who recalled responding: "Great, and really wish you not only to try (but) to succeed," he added.
Zelenskyy stressed that Kyiv wants progress before winter, regardless of the U.S. political calendar, and said American officials had told him reducing energy-infrastructure attacks mattered to Washington partly because of the impact on energy prices.
Addressing the U.N. General Assembly, Zelenskyy warned Russia that Ukraine would respond forcefully if the two sides cannot agree on an energy truce before winter.
"Ukrainians understand that this winter could be very harsh for us. But in response, we will have no choice but to make it painful for Russia too," he said, adding: "We will make sure that this happens already this winter if Russia continues attacking our energy and heating systems."
He argued Kyiv's target was not oil itself but Moscow's ability to finance the war: "When someone gives Russia more money through trade, they give this war more time."
Zelenskyy repeatedly referred to Putin as "patient zero" in his address, saying: "That is why 'patient zero' must be stopped. He must be denied the space to act, and the space to spread this evil further."
He also said Ukraine had not had the chance to speak directly with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who was in the U.S. but not at the UN, adding that Xi "can influence Russia more than many others can."
Xi is scheduled to hold White House talks with Trump on Thursday.
Zelenskyy also warned that rapid advances in artificial intelligence could fundamentally alter warfare, saying, "The war must be ended before artificial intelligence begins to decide what happens on the battlefield."
"There is a real possibility that as early as next year, decisions on the battlefield will begin to be made by AI, not only by people. We need peace before we reach this point," he added, calling for the international community to slow the development of technologies and weapons designed to kill.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea, describing them as difficult to capture and noting they had attempted to take their own lives rather than surrender.
He accused North Korean leader Kim Jong Un of treating his soldiers as "currency" in exchange for access to Russian military technology.
The soldiers were captured in Russia's Kursk region in early 2025; South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Zelenskyy agreed in July to handle their transfer on humanitarian grounds.
Zelenskyy said Russia is using fighters from 47 countries in the war, citing citizens from Ghana, Nepal and India among those caught up in the conflict.
"Putin is always looking for someone who can help him kill more, kill more people for every kilometer of land, take more territory and take another country instead of simply stopping and running his own country," he said.
He also touted Ukraine's drone-technology partnerships, saying he signed a "serious" drone deal with Finland and a security agreement with Australia that includes drones, with a similar deal being prepared with Canada.
He said Ukrainian forces had successfully tested four new jet-powered interceptor drones and were scaling up production, and pointed to the FREYJA anti-ballistic missile initiative involving Ukraine and nine European partners, with Poland invited to join.
Zelenskyy separately met President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Turkish House on the sidelines of the U.N. gathering, where the two discussed bilateral relations, the war and regional developments.
Erdogan told Zelenskyy that Türkiye is "always ready to do its utmost" to help secure a lasting peace and that efforts to revitalize direct negotiations would continue, according to Türkiye's Communications Directorate.
The Turkish president also stressed the need for steps ensuring Black Sea navigational safety, saying attacks on commercial vessels are "unjustifiable," and said Ankara expects responsible behavior from all parties involved.
He added that expanding cooperation with Ukraine in energy, mining and defense would benefit both countries.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine is "very open" to Türkiye hosting a trilateral leaders' meeting on peace negotiations.
"I said that if the president could organize (it), we will support the idea to be in Türkiye. We will be ready to come for such summit," Zelenskyy told reporters after the meeting, calling Türkiye "a very strong partner on the Black Sea with Ukraine."
He also said the two countries agreed to raise bilateral trade from $1 billion to $10 billion.
In a post on X, Zelenskyy thanked Erdogan for Türkiye's "consistent support" for Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty, saying: "And it is truly very important that Russia's war against Ukraine ends in exactly this way, with dignity and respect for international law."
He said various options remain on the table for fully restoring the Black Sea export corridor, adding: "What is needed is simply Russia's readiness to stop its terrorist strikes on our infrastructure so that Ukraine can reciprocally halt its long-range responses."
At a separate "Crimean Platform" summit on the sidelines of the UN gathering, Zelenskyy said Kyiv was ready for a maritime truce in the Black Sea based on proposals put forward by Egypt, India and Türkiye.
"We are waiting for Russia's response. Ukraine is ready ... to ensure safe shipping and food security in the Black Sea if Russia is ready to take real steps towards de-escalation too. We have to start somewhere," he said.
Zelenskyy said he had also spoken Tuesday with officials from India, the UAE and Egypt about the ceasefire effort and reopening the grain corridor, noting those countries are also in contact with Russia.
"Everybody wants (a) ceasefire. The corridor has to work again. We support (it). They speak with Russians, I know. We will see," he said.
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