Zelensky ready to meet US negotiators as early as Tuesday or Wednesday

The key point

Volodymyr Zelensky said he is ready to meet the US negotiating team in the coming days. In an interview with NBC News he said Ukraine’s negotiating team had received a signal to that effect during direct talks with the Americans.

“My negotiating team received a signal during direct talks with the American negotiating team that they want to meet. I agreed immediately and said there was no need to wait,” the president said.

Where and when

According to Zelensky, if the American representatives cannot travel to Ukraine itself, he is ready to meet them in Europe. He hopes the meeting can take place “despite all the difficult circumstances and all the energy challenges”. Within hours of the interview the Ukrainian side was due to hold talks with the US team to work out the details.

“So we are ready for a meeting, and I think that on Tuesday, maybe Wednesday, we will have an opportunity to meet in any case,” Zelensky said.

He stressed that the most important thing is to stop the war, and that any ceasefire is a step in that process.

The call with Witkoff and Kushner

A day earlier, on 18 October, Zelensky held a phone call with US presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. They discussed the results of the meeting between the Ukrainian and US teams in Florida and the next diplomatic steps.

“Our teams are effectively in constant communication. We are also preparing the next steps in diplomacy. We keep partners informed about the real situation with Russian strikes, which do not stop for a minute, and about air defence. A lot depends on America’s position here,” Zelensky wrote. He said they also discussed deliveries of Patriot systems, which depend on the United States and “can save many lives”.

A week of meetings in Europe

In his evening address the president announced meetings in Europe this week that should “substantially” help Ukraine’s air defence. “Europe clearly understands what is happening and that Ukraine must be supported, and supported more, in protecting lives. We are working to have air defence. That is, of course, the first priority,” he said.

A difficult backdrop

The readiness to meet comes amid strained relations between Kyiv and Washington. As DW reports, Donald Trump again accused Zelensky of not wanting to end the war and defended his decision to pause new sanctions on Russia mandated by the law named after the late Senator Lindsey Graham. DW also relays a Wall Street Journal report that Vladimir Putin proposed meeting Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping next month to discuss ending the war — without Zelensky. There is no official confirmation of such a plan.

At the same time Zelensky said the US had resumed intelligence sharing with Ukraine after it had been blocked for a period.

What next

The key question for the coming days is whether the meeting takes place on the proposed dates, where, and who will represent the US side. Kyiv expects progress on protecting the energy system, supplies of Patriot missiles and steps towards a ceasefire.

On 14 October we reported that Kyiv had already offered Trump’s envoys a meeting: Zelensky ready to meet Witkoff and Kushner in the coming days.