‘Peace track our number one priority’: Zelensky says Trump meeting could change a lot

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he and US President Donald Trump agreed to meet in New York to discuss peace efforts. Zelensky said Ukraine was ready for serious steps, with talks covering de-escalation, energy security, food security and human safety

Washington: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he and US President Donald Trump had agreed to meet in New York, and said Ukraine was ready to take serious steps towards peace in coordination with the American team.

“We agreed to meet in New York, and this meeting could change a lot. There is diplomatic momentum,” Zelensky said in a post on X after speaking with Trump. He did not announce a date for the meeting or specify what the two leaders hoped to agree. His account outlined areas under discussion but did not announce a peace agreement or a timetable for implementing any measures.

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Zelensky described the conversation as important and said it had covered substantial ground. He placed the pursuit of peace at the centre of Ukraine’s engagement with the American team.

“The peace track is our number one priority,” he said. The Ukrainian president identified energy security, food security and the protection of human life as issues being considered alongside possible steps to reduce tensions.

He did not set out the individual proposals or explain how they would be put into practice. “There are ideas for de-escalation steps and for addressing fundamental security issues – energy security, food security, and the protection of human life,” he said.

Zelensky also signalled Ukraine’s willingness to act, saying work with US officials was continuing. “We are working together with the American team and are ready to take really serious steps,” he said.

He did not identify those steps or say whether they would require reciprocal action. The post did not set out any commitments by Russia.

Zelensky thanked Trump for a visit to Kyiv by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. He said the visit had allowed detailed discussions and given the two Americans a direct view of conditions in Ukraine.

“We went through the key details thoroughly, and they saw the situation in Ukraine firsthand,” he said. Separately, Zelensky thanked the US president for signing legislation he referred to as the Lindsey Graham bill into law.

“I thanked the American President for signing the Lindsey Graham bill into law,” he said. The post did not give the legislation’s formal title, describe its provisions or explain how it related to the diplomatic steps under discussion.

“We all concur – there must be peace. Thank you to everyone who stands with Ukraine! Thank you to everyone who’s helping!” he said.