Trump and Zelensky meet in New York to discuss Russia talks and Patriot missile production in Ukraine
US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, with talks set to cover the status of Russia-Ukraine negotiations, Patriot interceptor production in Ukraine, and Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump began a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. Before heading into closed-door talks, both leaders addressed reporters.
Responding to questions, Trump said the discussion would cover the current state of negotiations with Russia, the production of Patriot air defense interceptor missiles in Ukraine, and Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries — which he again described as a factor pushing up global diesel prices.
Zelensky said he hoped the war with Russia could end before winter, though he had doubted until recently that this was achievable. Trump did not rule out holding another meeting with Vladimir Putin in an effort to reach a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. The closed-door portion of the Zelensky-Trump meeting was still underway.
Background on the talks
After Trump won a second term, the United States began mediating negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. Those talks were suspended in early 2026 when the US became involved in the war with Iran. In August, however, Washington resumed its mediation efforts, with CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Trump's special envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, traveling to Moscow before later meeting with Zelensky.
Among the topics discussed was a mutual halt to strikes on energy infrastructure. Trump had announced that Russia and Ukraine reached an energy truce, but it soon became clear he had spoken prematurely. The latest round of US-mediated talks has so far produced no concrete results, though both Ukraine and Russia have signaled willingness to keep negotiating.
