Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that Kyiv and Washington wanted to end the war with Russia before winter, following his meeting with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, as Ukraine expressed readiness for a reciprocal truce covering energy facilities.
I held a positive and productive meeting with President Donald J. Trump at the UN General Assembly. The United States and Ukraine want to end this absurd Russian war before winter
De-escalation talks between Zelenskyy and Trump
The Ukrainian president added that his talks with his US counterpart had addressed “possible de-escalation steps that could pave the way for diplomacy”, referring to moves aimed at limiting military operations and preparing a path towards negotiations.
Earlier on Tuesday, Zelenskyy announced that his country was prepared to stop targeting Russian energy facilities, provided Moscow agreed to take a similar step regarding Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings, he said: “We are ready for any format of an energy truce,” on the condition that Russia agree “not to attack our energy system”.
Kyiv requests Patriot missiles and offers energy truce
Zelenskyy also addressed his country’s need for missiles for Patriot air-defence systems, explaining that he had not received a specific answer from Trump about assistance for Ukraine on this issue. He said at a press conference: “I did not receive a specific response regarding missiles for Patriot systems; we are suffering from a shortage of them.”
Kremlin calls for lasting peace, not a temporary truce
The Kremlin, meanwhile, said on Tuesday that Russia was seeking lasting peace in the conflict with Ukraine, rather than merely a truce or temporary ceasefire. The position came as Moscow criticised the United States for refusing to grant Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alimov a visa to attend the UN General Assembly in New York.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a press conference that Russian President Vladimir Putin had repeatedly affirmed Moscow’s support for achieving “a firm and lasting peace”, arguing that a truce alone “would not, in essence, lead to any results”. Peskov added that Kyiv “knows very well” which decisions it must take to move towards a process leading to a lasting settlement.
He stressed that what Moscow wanted was “not a ceasefire, but lasting peace”.
Commenting on Zelenskyy’s statements about the truce, the Kremlin spokesman accused the Ukrainian president of taking contradictory positions from one day to the next on whether the war should continue or stop, while Kyiv tied its proposal to halt attacks on energy facilities to a reciprocal Russian commitment.
