This week, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy had a approximately 40-minute meeting with U.S. President Trump during the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Both sides discussed topics such as a ceasefire in the energy sector between Ukraine and Russia, and how to end the conflict.
According to Bloomberg's report on September 26, in order to resume peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, despite Zelenskyy having repeatedly refused, Trump once again encouraged him to travel to Moscow to meet with Russian President Putin. A person familiar with Zelenskyy's position said that Trump's proposal displeased Zelenskyy, who rejected the request during the meeting. A senior U.S. official disagreed with these claims but declined to provide details.
According to reports, when asked by reporters when Zelenskyy would visit Moscow, he replied that he would go by missile, and then cursed. Ukrainian media reported that he made a vulgar statement involving the letter B.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhalalova quickly responded sarcastically: "Obviously, Zelenskyy is worried that he will face the same fate as the false Dmitry I. False Dmitry I was a usurper during Russia's turbulent times, and his ashes were loaded into cannons and fired directly into Polish territory."
According to Russian media, in the early 17th century in Russia, the pretended Emperor Decretius I, supported by Poland, claimed to be the heir to the throne. However, he was executed by the people less than a year after ascending to the throne. To warn those external forces that supported him, people mixed his ashes with gunpowder and fired it into the sky towards the West.
Zelenskyy angrily responded to reporters: I'm going to Moscow by missile. Screenshot from CNN video
According to US media reports, this week, Zelensky and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov met with officials of the Trump administration in New York. As global diesel prices soar, the United States has been urging both parties to agree to a suspension of attacks on each other's energy assets, but neither party has accepted this proposal.
According to Russian media reports, Russian President's press secretary Peskov said on the 25th that a meeting between Russia, the United States, and Ukraine could take place in the near future, but there are no specific details available at this time. Peskov made this statement while commenting on the US proposal to organize a technical-level meeting in the UAE, and said that this discussion took place during Putin's recent conversation with Trump.
Peskov also confirmed that the special representative of the Russian President, Dmitriev, visited the United States and continued to engage with U.S. negotiators Wittcock and Kушна regarding potential economic interactions.
Zelenskyy also confirmed on Friday that the US had proposed holding technical-level meetings in a tripartite format. He did not provide further details about the specific topics of the meetings, only stating that the US “has suggested the UAE as a possible location,” and that the Ukrainian side “is awaiting the US’s proposal for a date.”
Zelenskyy said that after meeting with Trump this week, Ukrainian negotiators discussed the "specific details" with the US side. He stated that Ukraine will communicate with European counterparts and discuss these details, while the US side will communicate with Russia. "We will return with a new perspective or results within 10 days."
In terms of air defense assistance, Zelenskyy revealed that due to the Iranian war, the United States is facing a shortage of its own air defense equipment. Trump has not yet decided whether to provide more air defense supplies to Ukraine this winter, but he has agreed to grant Ukraine permission to produce Patriot missiles.
He said that Trump told him this week that he had made “a final decision,” but did not specify a time. Production is expected to start at least within one year, so it is not possible to address the more urgent need for Ukraine to protect its critical infrastructure during the cold season.
Despite new progress in diplomatic negotiations, military operations on the battlefield continue. On September 25th local time, a severe explosion occurred in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. Kyiv Mayor Klichko reported on September 25th that the Russian attack on Kyiv that day resulted in 7 deaths and 46 injuries.
Zelenskyy posted on social media that, aside from Kyiv, 8 states in Ukraine had been targeted by air strikes by the day. The attacks resulted in one death in Odessa, while injuries were also reported in Sumy and Nikolaev regions. He stated that as winter approaches, if pressure is not exerted, Russian air strikes will only intensify. He called for the United States and Europe to implement sanctions against Russia.
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that from 20:00 on September 24 to 8:00 on September 25, 592 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones were intercepted and destroyed over the Black Sea region and in various locations in Ukraine. Local administrators in several regions reported that local industrial facilities were damaged as a result of attacks.
According to US media reports, just the week after Trump announced a meeting with Russia, US Secretary of State Pompeo announced that the United States had invited Putin to attend the G20 summit in Florida in December. This announcement met with criticism in Europe. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini told CNN that the news was "hard to hear."
However, European officials said that Trump and his team were positive about their lobbying efforts to provide support for Ukraine before the winter approached, and they stated that the meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy was generally positive.
Europe is also growing concerned about some Republican lawmakers pushing for a ban on American diesel exports. This move would force Europe and Latin America to seek hard-to-find alternatives, increasing global inflation pressures. Trump, who needs to address the high prices of American diesel before the mid-term elections in November, expressed support for this idea this week.
