Zelensky meets Trump, says Ukraine ready for energy truce with Russia
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that he and US President Donald Trump had discussed efforts to end the four-year-old war with Russia, including a potential bilateral ceasefire on energy-related targets. Speaking to the media after a 40-minute meeting with Trump at UN headquarters in New York, Zelensky said Kyiv was ready for any format of an energy ceasefire with Moscow but…
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, discussing a potential resolution to the four-year conflict with Russia. The two leaders addressed the possibility of a bilateral ceasefire targeting energy-related infrastructure during a 40-minute meeting at UN headquarters in New York. Zelensky affirmed Ukraine's readiness for any format of energy truce with Russia, but clarified that there had been no conversation regarding Ukraine's unilateral cessation of attacks on Russian oil refineries.
In the wake of recent intensifying aerial assaults, Zelensky sought US assistance in form of Patriot air defense missiles to protect Ukraine's heating and power facilities during the impending winter. The US had recently reduced its stockpile of Patriots due to the simultaneous war in Iran. Zelensky proposed swapping future interceptors received from Germany for Patriots, but Trump had not yet agreed to the plan.
During their meeting, Trump expressed concern over Russia's damage to fuel-processing capacity, which he claimed was contributing to global diesel price surges. He also mentioned that Zelensky and he would discuss solutions to end the war, which began with Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. However, the prospect of a ceasefire appeared fleeting, as Russia bombarded Ukrainian oil refineries the following day, and Ukraine retaliated by bombing a Russian oil refinery.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham attended the meeting and urged Trump to advocate for an energy truce between Ukraine and Russia. Burnham pledged additional financial backing for Ukraine's infrastructure. The ongoing conflict has severely impacted ports, warehouses, ships, and energy infrastructure, further hampering Ukraine's ability to export grain from the Black Sea.
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