Kremlin rebuffs Zelenskyy’s call for trilateral talks with Putin and Trump

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on U.S. President Donald Trump to organize a three-way summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, declaring he is "ready any time" to meet if it could bring an end to the war now in its fifth year. The appeal came during a meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.cnbc+1

"I think the most important move President Trump can make — he can organize a trilateral meeting where the leaders can raise all the sensitive issues and try to end the war," Zelenskyy told reporters after the sit-down.cnbc

The Kremlin swiftly dismissed the proposal. Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that a summit between Putin and Zelenskyy would be "a waste of time" without prior expert-level groundwork, while reiterating that Zelenskyy could travel to Moscow if he wished, with security guarantees provided.ua

Energy Ceasefire and Winter Fears

Zelenskyy said he and Trump discussed a potential ceasefire on energy infrastructure — a pressing issue as winter approaches and Russia's Defense Ministry has signaled plans for "massive strikes" on Ukraine's power grid. Under the proposed terms, Ukraine would halt strikes on Russian diesel refineries if Moscow stops targeting Ukrainian electricity, heating and water systems.jpost+1

"If they wish to avoid attacks on their diesel and refineries, we are prepared — provided they do not target our energy infrastructure," Zelenskyy said.nypost

Zelenskyy also warned that intelligence indicated Russia is "preparing a new massive attack against Ukraine," a message he relayed during a separate meeting with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham.jpost

Patriot Missiles and China's Role

Ukraine's president said he asked Trump for a "winter package" of Patriot RTX Corporation ↗ 0.63% missile interceptors and licenses allowing Ukraine to produce them domestically. Zelenskyy said his military adviser spoke Tuesday morning with Raytheon about accelerating production, and that Trump was "positive" on the request, though no firm commitment was made.trtworld

Zelenskyy also urged Trump to press Chinese President Xi Jinping — whom Trump is scheduled to meet on September 24 in Washington — to use Beijing's influence over Putin to support peace efforts. "If we want to end this war, not just in messages, we all have to work 24/7 for this, for the people," Zelenskyy said.unn+1

Finnish President Alexander Stubb, speaking separately to Bloomberg, backed the push for a reciprocal energy ceasefire and said Ukraine is in a stronger military position than a year ago. "The message that we have to the Russians is that listen, you guys are not going to win this," Stubb said.kyivpost

Trump, for his part, told reporters: "We will get that one done."cnbc