Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told leaders at the United Nations on Wednesday (September 23, 2026) that Ukraine was ready ​for a maritime truce in the Black Sea based on proposals by ‌Egypt, India and Turkey, and said it was ​now up to Russia to respond.

Mr. Zelenskyy spoke at Ukraine’s ⁠Crimean Platform summit on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly gathering of world leaders and ahead of a Security Council meeting on ‌Russia’s war in Ukraine, which is now in its fifth year.

Ukraine, which fears that Russia plans to pound ‌power and heating facilities with missiles and drones this winter, ‌has been ⁠pressing for ceasefires covering attacks on energy infrastructure and ⁠shipping in the Black Sea.

Mr. Zelenskyy said Egypt, India and Turkey had outlined options to restore safe navigation for merchant shipping in the Black Sea, where cargo movements ​are at a near ‌standstill due to heavy attacks on ships and port infrastructure by both sides.

“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.

Top wheat importers in Asia, West Asia ⁠and Africa that count on the Black Sea region for wheat have been finding it hard to secure supplies. Global wheat prices have ‌soared.

Mr. Zelenskyy, who was expected to address the UN General Assembly later on Wednesday (September 23, 2026), met U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday (September 22, 2026) and said they had also discussed a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire on energy-related targets.

Russia, Ukraine have voiced interest in ‘limited ceasefire’: Rubio

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday (September 23, 2026) that both Russia and Ukraine had ‌expressed interest in a limited ceasefire involving grain and energy.

“I think both sides have expressed an interest in some limited ceasefire that involve grain and energy. ‌Obviously, you know, that won’t be easy either,” Mr. Rubio told reporters.

Russia has ‌given ⁠no public indication it is ready to agree a maritime or energy ⁠truce with Ukraine and it was not immediately clear if Mr. Rubio was suggesting there had been movement on the Russian side after his talks with Mr. Lavrov.

Ahead of the Lavrov-Rubio meeting, the Kremlin said there were no grounds for wider ⁠Ukraine peace talks, while saying it remained open to such talks. “For now, ⁠there are no prerequisites for moving on to a peaceful negotiating track, although we, as the Russian side, remain ‌open to peace talks,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Mr. Zelenskyy said on Tuesday (September 22, 2026) that he would be ready to meet Russian ​President Vladimir Putin at a trilateral meeting with Mr. Trump.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his reportedly tense meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump last week was “positive,” even though he did not secure Tomahawk missiles for the fight against Russia.

In comments to journalists on Sunday (October 20, 2025) and embargoed until Monday (October 21) morning, Mr. Zelenskyy asserted that Mr. Trump reneged on the possibility of sending the long-range missiles to Ukraine after speaking by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin hours before Friday’s meeting.

Mr. Trump on Friday called on Kyiv and Moscow to “stop where they are” and end the war.

“In my opinion, he does not want an escalation with the Russians until he meets with them,” Mr. Zelenskyy said.

According to Mr. Zelenskyy, Mr. Trump said during their meeting that Mr. Putin’s maximalist demand — that Ukraine cede the entirety of its eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions — was unchanged.

Mr. Zelenskyy expressed skepticism about Mr. Putin’s proposal to swap some territory it holds in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions if Ukraine surrenders Donetsk and Luhansk, saying the proposal was unclear.

Ukraine’s leader said Mr. Trump ultimately supported a freeze along the current front line.

“We share President Trump’s positive outlook if it leads to the end of the war,” Mr. Zelenskyy said, citing “many rounds of discussion over more than two hours with him and his team.” Mr. Zelenskyy was diplomatic about his meeting with Mr. Trump despite reports that he faced pressure to accept Putin’s demands. The meeting followed the disastrous Oval Office spat on Feb. 28 when the Ukrainian president was scolded on live television for not being grateful for continued US support.

Later on Monday, Mr. Trump told reporters that Ukraine could still win the war. “I don’t think they will. They could still win it. I never said they would win it,” he said. “Anything can happen, you know war is a very strange thing.” Mr. Zelenskyy said he hopes that Trump’s meeting in the coming weeks with Putin in Hungary — which does not support Ukraine — will pave the way for a peace deal. Their first summit of Trump’s current term was in Alaska in August.

Mr. Zelenskyy said he has not been invited to attend but would consider it if the format for talks were fair to Kyiv.

He also took a stab at Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, saying he does not believe that a prime minister “who blocks Ukraine everywhere can do anything positive for Ukrainians or even provide a balanced contribution.” Mr. Zelenskyy said he thinks that all parties have “moved closer” to a possible end to the war.

“That doesn’t mean it will definitely end, but President Trump has achieved a lot in the Middle East, and riding that wave he wants to end Russia’s war against Ukraine,” he added.

Ukraine is hoping to purchase 25 Patriot air defence systems from US firms using frozen Russian assets and assistance from partners, but Mr. Zelenskyy said procuring all would require time because of long production waits. He said he spoke to Mr. Trump about help procuring them more quickly, potentially from European partners.

Mr. Zelenskyy said the United States is interested in bilateral gas projects with Ukraine, including the construction of an LNG terminal in the southern port city of Odesa. Other projects of interest include those related to nuclear energy and oil.