Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that the United States is seeking to restart diplomatic discussions with Ukraine and Russia through technical-level talks focused on the unresolved issues surrounding the war.
UAE Proposed for Trilateral Meeting
Zelenskyy said the American side proposed a technical-level meeting in a three-way format and suggested the United Arab Emirates as a possible location. “We are awaiting a proposal from the United States regarding the date,” he told reporters in a WhatsApp briefing, Reuters reported. Kyiv Post, which was on the briefing, reported the same account.
The proposed session would be at the technical level, not a leaders’ summit of Trump, Zelenskyy, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. It is not a ceasefire or peace agreement. The Kremlin said Friday that a trilateral meeting could happen soon but gave no date. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin and Trump discussed the possibility during their call earlier this month, Mint reported, citing the Kremlin.
The three countries previously held three rounds of trilateral negotiations this year. Two took place in Abu Dhabi, and another was held in Geneva, without producing a major breakthrough.
Zelenskyy Seeks China’s Help
Zelenskyy said he also asked Trump to encourage Chinese President Xi Jinping to use China’s relationship with Moscow to support diplomatic efforts to end the war, per U.S. News.
The Ukrainian president said he had not received an update from the White House on Trump’s discussions with Xi but expected to learn what was discussed.
Zelenskyy was in the United States this week for the U.N. General Assembly and met with Trump on Tuesday. He also held meetings with members of Congress as he sought continued international support for Ukraine.
Dispute Over Strikes on Russian Energy Sites
In his address to the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday, Zelenskyy defended Ukraine’s attacks on Russian oil facilities. He said targeting the facilities is intended to reduce the money available to Russia for its military campaign.
Trump has urged Kyiv to stop the strikes, citing concerns about diesel prices. Zelenskyy has said Ukraine would be willing to halt such attacks if Russia also stopped striking Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
Zelenskyy said he thanked U.S. lawmakers for bipartisan backing of a sanctions measure targeting Russia. Trump signed the legislation into law last week, although the measures had not yet been put into effect.
He said sanctions could be used as leverage in efforts to bring Russia to negotiations.
Trump Approves Patriot Production Licenses
Zelenskyy said Friday that Trump told him he had made a final decision to grant Ukraine licenses to produce Patriot missiles.
“At our last meeting, President Trump emphasised to me that, yes, I have made a final decision. Ukraine will receive licences for the production of Patriot missiles,” Zelenskyy said in a voice note to reporters, Euronews reported. That is Zelenskyy’s account of the New York meeting. A production license would not immediately end Ukraine’s interceptor shortage.
Patriot systems are used to defend against Russian ballistic-missile attacks and have become an important part of Ukraine’s air-defense network. Domestic production would take time to establish, however, meaning the decision would not immediately solve Ukraine’s shortage of interceptors.
The announcement came after Trump and Zelenskyy met in New York during the U.N. General Assembly.
