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“Ukraine Ready to Halt Energy Strikes if Russia Does the Same,” Zelenskyy Says After Trump Meeting
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with US President Donald Trump in New York on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly on September 22. The leaders held a brief 7-minute meeting with the press before continuing their discussions behind closed doors, which lasted 40 minutes.
Speaking at his personal press conference following the closed-door meeting, Zelenskyy commented on the outcome of the talks and outlined new defense and diplomatic initiatives aimed at securing long-term stability.
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His proposals included seeking US authorization for domestic air defense manufacturing, advocating for a mutual energy truce, leveraging American sanctions, and exploring direct trilateral peace talks involving Washington and Moscow.
Addressing air defense needs, Zelenskyy confirmed that military advisor Pavlo Palisa held preliminary discussions with American defense manufacturer Raytheon regarding the domestic production of Patriot air defense systems.
"As a security shield for Ukraine, in any way, we need licenses to begin the prepare production of Patriots," Zelenskyy said, noting that President Donald Trump is "positive with licenses."
While Raytheon expressed readiness to partner, the project relies on official US licensing, which could take a year to eighteen months to operationalize.
To address immediate interceptor shortages, Zelenskyy signed a contract with Germany for 600 Patriot missiles split into two packages. He appealed to the US for urgent missile transfers to protect civilians, stating, "I said very openly because it's deficit, I'm asking United States to help me now, to help our people now, to save our people now," offering to replenish American stockpiles by 2027.
On the diplomatic front, Zelenskyy voiced support for a mutual energy truce as an initial step toward de-escalation, confirming that the US side will convey Kyiv's proposal to Moscow.
"We spoke about how to end the war: we are ready for this. I am not sure that Russia is ready for this. We spoke about an energy truce. We are ready for it. Of course, we are ready to stop strikes on their oil refineries and energy system if they do not strike ours," Zelenskyy stated following his meeting with President Trump.
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Clarifying the scope of the proposed energy truce, Zelenskyy emphasized that Washington did not ask Kyiv for any unilateral pause on strikes against Russian energy infrastructure. "We are speaking about an energy truce. If it concerns energy—it means all energy," Zelenskyy explained, noting that a complete arrangement must also cover water supply infrastructure and other critical municipal utilities.
However, the Ukrainian President expressed deep skepticism regarding Moscow's willingness to abide by any standstill, warning the US administration that Russian forces would likely violate the agreement.
"There will be attacks, and Putin will tell you that it happened because of Ukraine," Zelenskyy warned, citing recent Russian strikes as evidence of Moscow using fabricated pretexts to maintain its campaign of aerial bombardment.
Zelenskyy also reiterated his readiness for a direct trilateral summit with US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin to end the war. "I'm ready anytime when all the sides will be ready," he stated.
Zelenskyy recently proposed a conditional energy de-escalation framework to Western partners, indicating that Kyiv is prepared to halt strikes on Russian refineries if international partners can secure and guarantee a complete end to Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy, port, and logistics infrastructure.
In a statement, he emphasized that any mutual halt must be reliable, long-term, and enforceable rather than a brief operational pause. Expressing skepticism regarding Moscow’s willingness to abide by an agreement, Zelenskyy warned that Russia might seek temporary relief for its domestic fuel markets ahead of elections before resuming strikes.
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