Zelenskyy Signals Ukraine Would Accept Reciprocal Energy Ceasefire, Presses Trump for Trilateral Summit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv is prepared to accept an energy ceasefire with Russia in any format, while pressing President Donald Trump to organize a trilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to try to end the war. The comments came after a roughly 40-minute meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump at United Nations headquarters in New York, according to Reuters via Astro Awani and CNBC.

What Zelenskyy Said About an Energy Truce

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Zelenskyy said Kyiv was ready for any format of an energy ceasefire with Moscow, but he made clear that there had been no discussion of Ukraine unilaterally halting its attacks on Russian oil refineries, according to Reuters via Astro Awani. In other words, the offer as described is reciprocal rather than one-sided: Ukraine says it would stop hitting Russian energy infrastructure only as part of a mutual arrangement, not as a goodwill gesture made first.

Zelenskyy also said he remains uncertain that Moscow is actually prepared to end the fighting. "President Trump, our teams, and I spoke about how to end the war. This is the priority. We are ready. I'm not sure Russia is ready as of today, but anyhow, we spoke about an energy ceasefire," Zelenskyy said in comments relayed via social media and reported by CNBC. Reuters via Astro Awani similarly reported that Zelenskyy said he had seen no indication Putin was ready to talk.

The Push for a Trilateral Summit

Zelenskyy told reporters he views a three-way meeting as the most consequential step Trump could take. "I think the most important move President Trump can make – he can organize a trilateral meeting where the leaders can raise all the sensitive issues and try to end the war," he said, per CNBC. He added, according to Reuters via Astro Awani, "I'm ready for a trilateral meeting. It means that I'm agreed to end the war." Zelenskyy said he would attend such a meeting whenever all sides are prepared.

Kremlin's Response

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov addressed the idea of a Putin-Zelenskyy meeting on Wednesday, telling Russia's state-run RIA Novosti that a summit held before expert-level discussions take place would be a waste of time. "Regarding Putin's meeting with Zelensky, our position is well known. Putin said that Zelensky, if he wishes, can come to Moscow," Peskov said, as reported by CNBC. The statement did not directly address Zelenskyy's energy-ceasefire proposal, and CNBC noted it had separately contacted a White House spokesperson and Russia's embassy in London for comment and was awaiting a response.

Trump's Framing of the Refinery Strikes

Ahead of his meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump told reporters he and the Ukrainian leader would discuss Ukraine's attacks on Russian oil refineries, framing the strikes in market terms: "It is a serious hit on the Russians. It's also a serious hit on the price of diesel," Trump said, according to Reuters via Astro Awani. Trump also said of ending the war, "I think it's going to happen," and told reporters he had spoken with Zelenskyy about finding a solution to end Russia's war, per CNBC.

Both outlets noted this is not a new concern for Trump. CNBC reported that Trump has previously called on Ukraine to stop targeting Russian refineries with drone strikes, saying the attacks are "hurting the world" amid fuel-supply disruptions from the Ukraine and Iran wars that have pushed U.S. diesel prices to a record high. In a Truth Social post on Monday, Trump said Russia had "unfortunately lost control" of its diesel oil industry because of the war, per CNBC. Reuters via Astro Awani additionally reported that Trump's approval ratings have slumped to a record low amid high gas prices ahead of the November U.S. midterm elections, and that he has expressed concern over the extent of damage to Russia's fuel-processing capacity.

A Truce That Collapsed Within a Day

This is not the first attempt at an energy truce. Reuters via Astro Awani reported that Trump announced last week that Ukraine and Russia had agreed not to strike energy targets, but that the arrangement fell apart almost immediately: Russia hit petrol stations in Kyiv the following day, and Ukraine bombed a Russian oil refinery. That history underscores why Zelenskyy's latest comments describe an offer and a request for a summit rather than an agreement already in place.

Scope of the Strikes Goes Beyond Refineries

Reuters via Astro Awani reported that intensifying aerial attacks by both sides in recent weeks have battered ports, warehouses, ships and energy infrastructure, and have crippled Black Sea grain exports, indicating the damage extends well beyond refineries and power plants. CNBC reported that Ukraine has stepped up strikes on Russian oil facilities and logistics infrastructure in recent months and maintains that Russian energy sites are legitimate military targets given the ongoing invasion. Russia's Defense Ministry, in turn, has said it is planning "massive strikes" on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, according to CNBC, fueling concern about another winter assault on Ukraine's grid.

Wider Context: Air Defense and Diplomatic Pressure

Alongside the ceasefire discussion, Zelenskyy said a winter package of Patriot air defense missiles and licenses to produce the weapons domestically were priorities for Ukraine in the coming months, according to CNBC, and Reuters via Astro Awani reported he asked the U.S. for Patriot air defense missiles in his talks with Trump. Reuters via Astro Awani reported that Zelenskyy proposed swapping future Patriot interceptors due under Ukraine's deal with Germany, which has agreed to supply 600 Patriots in 2027 and 2028, in exchange for missiles from U.S. stockpiles this winter. Zelenskyy said it was a "good step" that the idea was not rejected, but acknowledged Trump had not yet agreed to it. Reuters via Astro Awani noted that the U.S. war in Iran and the Ukraine war have depleted global Patriot supplies, including U.S. inventories, and described Patriots as the only weapon in Ukraine's arsenal capable of downing Russian ballistic missiles.

Zelenskyy also urged Trump to bring Chinese President Xi Jinping into the diplomatic effort, saying Xi "has influence on Putin," per CNBC. CNBC further noted that U.S. diplomatic efforts had stalled while Washington focused on its war against Iran, though negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff traveled to Ukraine earlier in the month for talks with Zelenskyy. Separately, Reuters via Astro Awani reported that Zelenskyy met UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who said he lobbied Trump to press for a Ukraine-Russia energy ceasefire and pledged further UK financial support for Ukrainian infrastructure.

Bottom Line

Zelenskyy's remarks describe an offer, not a finalized deal: Kyiv says it would accept a reciprocal energy ceasefire but has made no unilateral commitment, and Moscow's only public response so far, via Peskov, addressed the prospect of a leaders' summit rather than the energy truce itself. Trump has voiced concern about the refinery strikes' effect on diesel prices, but no agreement or trilateral meeting has been confirmed by either government. Given that a similar energy truce collapsed within a day last week, any renewed arrangement would need verification before markets or readers should treat the fighting around energy infrastructure as resolved.