---
title: "Zelensky and Trump Meet in New York: What the Talks Can Actually Achieve and Why PAC-3 Missiles Are Out of Reach for Ukraine"
description: "Zelensky and Trump meet in New York on September 22. Penta expert Alexandra Leonova named a joint declaration on a ceasefire before negotiations as the main expected outcome, while calling the transfer of PAC-3 missiles unlikely."
date: 2026-09-22T12:16:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/zelensky-trump-meeting-new-york-expectations-and-real-outcomes
tags: [zelensky, trump, ukraine-usa, ceasefire, pac-3, sanctions, new-york, ram-bloomenthal-act, tomahawk]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Zelensky and Trump Meet in New York: What the Talks Can Actually Achieve and Why PAC-3 Missiles Are Out of Reach for Ukraine

![Zelensky and Trump meet in New York: talks on Ukraine support and PAC-3 missiles](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/22/vstrecha-zelenskogo-i-trampa-v-nyu-yorke-ozhidaniya-i-realnye-itogi/vstrecha-zelenskogo-i-trampa-v-nyu-yorke-ozhidaniya-i-realnye-itogi-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- The meeting between Zelensky and Trump in New York took place on September 22, 2026, after the White House had previously denied it was being planned
- The expert names a joint declaration on a full ceasefire before peace negotiations as the main possible outcome
- The transfer of PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine is unlikely due to their shortage following Iran's attacks on U.S. bases in the Middle East
- The issue of a license for weapons production is possible, but the process will take years, not months
- The implementation of the Graham–Blumenthal Act as a tool of pressure on Russia may be added to the agenda

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the President of the United States, Donald Trump, are holding a meeting in New York on September 22, 2026. According to Alexandra Leonova, Executive Director of the Penta Center for Applied Political Studies, the very fact of this contact is already a positive signal for Kyiv and its allies. The expert emphasized that just a few days earlier, the White House had officially stated that no contacts between the two leaders were planned. In her words, the turning point in the schedule came after the strikes on Moscow and the Moscow region: it was then that Trump personally called to confirm the meeting.

### Context: From Refusal to Confirmation

The chronology of the preparations for the talks shows a sharp shift in Washington's position. If the White House press office had previously categorically denied any preparations for a bilateral meeting, then after a series of strikes on the Russian capital and the surrounding regions, Trump himself picked up the phone and agreed to a face-to-face format. Leonova also drew attention to the American president's public statements about Russia, in particular his words that "Russian dictator Vladimir Putin does not control his own oil and gas industry." In the expert's view, such rhetoric creates a particular information backdrop for the negotiations and may influence the tone of the final documents.

### The Main Expected Outcome: A Declaration on Ceasefire

Leonova stated outright that it is difficult to speak of any breakthrough or urgent outcomes of the meeting "right here, right now." Nevertheless, she named a joint declaration or statement as the most likely outcome, one that would enshrine the principle that a full and unconditional ceasefire must precede any peace negotiations. The expert noted that the United States has begun to gradually return to this formulation — the need for such an approach is already being voiced by American representatives at the UN and by diplomats. In her words, India and Kazakhstan have also expressed support for this initiative, while China is speaking on the matter cautiously. According to Leonova's assessment, the formation of such a joint approach will become serious political pressure on Russia.

### Military Cooperation: Why PAC-3 Will Not Arrive and "Tomahawks" Are a Matter of Fantasy

The question of arms supplies is also expected to come up during the talks. However, in Leonova's assessment, the transfer of PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine is highly unlikely: following Iran's recent attacks on U.S. bases in the Middle East, the United States has only about 500 missiles of this type left, and Washington is unlikely to hand them over. The expert considers a more realistic scenario to be the U.S. confirming its readiness to provide a license for the production of similar weapons on Ukrainian facilities. At the same time, she warned that the process will be lengthy: as an example, Leonova cited Japan, which took about five years from obtaining the license to the industrial production of PAC-3. "Ukraine is unlikely to be able to speed up this process significantly," the expert concluded. As an additional agenda item, Leonova mentioned the possibility of returning to the topic of Tomahawk missiles, which the U.S. had been actively discussing a year ago: "If we return to this topic, it would be a nice way to pressure Russia."

### The Sanctions Trick: The Graham–Blumenthal Act

Another working issue that may be raised at the meeting, Leonova named, is the implementation of the Graham–Blumenthal Act — a major American sanctions package against Russia and Iran, signed by Trump in September 2026. The document was drafted by Senator Lindsey Graham and Senator Richard Blumenthal. The expert linked its practical application to the task of increasing pressure on Moscow and its allies in order to push them toward a ceasefire. Thus, the sanctions agenda is viewed not as a standalone tool, but as an element of comprehensive pressure, combined with the diplomatic initiative of "ceasefire first, then negotiations."

### Contradictory Data

In the experts' assessments and the official statements of the parties, a number of inconsistencies can be traced. On the one hand, the White House, a few days before the meeting, publicly stated that "no contacts are planned," which created the impression of a lack of political will on Washington's part. On the other hand — the very fact of the urgent confirmation of the meeting at Trump's initiative after the strikes on Moscow indicates the opposite: the contact was not only possible but necessary for both sides. Moreover, Leonova, on the one hand, calls the meeting a "positive moment," while on the other — directly points out that the goals of the negotiations are "fairly vague and will not produce an effect right here, right now." This internal contradiction in the assessment — from optimism about the very fact of dialogue to pessimism about the concrete results — reflects the real state of the negotiation process, in which the symbolic significance of the meeting currently outweighs its practical payoff.

### Bottom Line: Symbolism Over Substance

The meeting between Zelensky and Trump on September 22, 2026, according to the totality of expert assessments, is unlikely to bring instant breakthroughs in the "we signed — and the war is over" format. However, its significance goes beyond a single day: enshrining the "ceasefire before negotiations" formula in a joint document, the possible discussion of licenses for weapons production, and the practical implementation of the Graham–Blumenthal sanctions act — all of this forms a cumulative pressure effect on Russia. For Ukraine, the key will be whether it can turn the symbolic gesture into concrete commitments, and for Washington — into a balance between supporting Kyiv and its own limitations on arsenal and diplomatic resources.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Zelensky and Trump's Meeting in New York: Expert Names the Main Expectations](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/zustrich-zelenskogo-ta-trampa-nyu-yorku-ekspert-1790079211.html) - Основной источник. Прямые цитаты А. Леонова о факте встречи, PAC-3, «Томагавках», законе Грэма–Блюменталя. Все тезисы статьи взяты из данного материала.
- [Trump's Meeting with Zelensky: It Became Known What the Leaders Will Discuss and Who Will Join](https://ru.slovoidilo.ua/2026/09/22/novost/politika/vstrecha-trampa-zelenskim-stalo-izvestno-chem-budut-govorit-lidery-i-kto-prisoedinitsya) - Подтверждает факт и повестку встречи. Использован как дополнительный контекст по составу участников.
- [Meeting with Trump, Drone Deal and About 20 Negotiations: The Key Points of Zelensky's Trip to the U.S.](https://news.telegraf.com.ua/ukraina/5950567-vstrecha-s-trampom-drone-deal-i-okolo-20-peregovorov-glavnoe-o-poezdke-zelenskogo-v-ssha) - Подтверждает масштаб визита Зеленского в США (около 20 переговоров, Drone Deal). Контекст для оценки значимости двусторонней встречи.
- [Today Trump and Zelensky Will Meet Face to Face: Exact Time and What They May Agree On](https://tsn.ua/ru/politika/segodnya-tramp-i-zelenskiy-vstretyatsya-litsom-k-litsu-tochnoe-vremya-i-o-chem-mogut-dogovoritsya-3173006.html) - Подтверждает дату и формат встречи «лицом к лицу». Использован для верификации хронологии.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: When and where will the meeting between Zelensky and Trump take place?
**A:** The meeting is taking place on September 22, 2026, in New York in a face-to-face format. According to experts, it was confirmed by Trump by phone after the strikes on Moscow and the Moscow region, although the White House had previously stated that no contacts were planned.

### Q: What could be the outcome of the negotiations?
**A:** According to Alexandra Leonova of the Penta Center, the most likely outcome is a joint declaration or statement that peace negotiations must be preceded by a full and unconditional ceasefire. It is difficult to speak of more specific or urgent results.

### Q: Will Ukraine receive PAC-3 missiles from the U.S.?
**A:** The expert considers this unlikely: after Iran's attacks on American bases in the Middle East, the U.S. has only about 500 PAC-3 missiles left. A more realistic option is providing a production license, however, by analogy with Japan, this process could take about five years.

### Q: What is the Graham–Blumenthal Act and how does it relate to the meeting?
**A:** It is a major American sanctions package against Russia and Iran, signed by Trump in September 2026 and drafted by Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal. At the meeting, its practical implementation may be discussed as a tool of pressure on Russia to push it toward a ceasefire.