Zelensky announces negotiations of Ukrainian delegation in the US
A Ukrainian delegation will hold talks with representatives of the United States on October 9 and 10. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky announced the upcoming visit of the negotiating group and called on American leader Donald Trump to increase pressure on Russia.
Zelensky said this on October 8 during a visit to the city of Pryluky in Chernihiv Oblast, which had previously been hit by a Russian strike. The information about the upcoming negotiations was published by Reuters.
According to the president, representatives of Ukraine will be in the United States on Friday and Saturday. At the same time, the detailed composition of the delegation, the list of American participants, and the official agenda of the meetings have not yet been disclosed.
Zelensky emphasized that in order to make progress in a diplomatic settlement of the war, Washington needs to strengthen economic pressure on Moscow.
The president criticized the situation in which the American side discusses prospects for economic cooperation with Russia while simultaneously acknowledging the lack of progress in peace negotiations.
"You cannot, on the one hand, negotiate with the Russians about future economic projects, and on the other, say that we have found ourselves in some kind of diplomatic dead end," Zelensky said.
In his opinion, the United States should use sanctions and other economic tools to influence the position of the Russian leadership.
US proposes resuming trilateral negotiations
The new visit of Ukrainian negotiators comes amid Washington's attempts to resume a direct diplomatic process between Ukraine and Russia.
Earlier, on October 4, Zelensky announced that the American side had proposed organizing a trilateral meeting of representatives of Ukraine, the US, and Russia at the technical level before the end of the month.
According to the president, Washington maintains contacts with both sides and discusses the possibility of holding such negotiations. Kyiv has already confirmed its readiness to participate in the meeting.
Ukraine does not object to negotiations being held in the United Arab Emirates or another country proposed by the United States. At the same time, Moscow's final consent to participate in the new round of negotiations had not been confirmed at the time of the statement.
Among the issues discussed during previous diplomatic contacts were a possible cessation of strikes on energy infrastructure and prospects for restoring safe navigation in the Black Sea.
Which issues remain unresolved
In early September, representatives of the American president Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Kyiv. During the talks, the parties discussed conditions for a possible peace settlement, security guarantees for Ukraine, and economic mechanisms for post-war reconstruction.
Zelensky noted at the time that the most difficult issues, including territorial ones, needed to be resolved at the level of state leaders. Special attention was paid to strengthening Ukrainian air defense and ensuring energy security ahead of winter.
Despite diplomatic contacts, Russia continues to strike Ukrainian cities and infrastructure. Kyiv insists that the cessation of attacks must be mutual and cannot entail unilateral obligations by Ukraine.
The upcoming meetings on October 9–10 will be another stage in Ukrainian-American consultations. However, holding a new round of negotiations with Russia's participation remains uncertain.
Based on materials from: Reuters, The Kyiv Independent, Office of the President of Ukraine.
