Georgy Tikhii, the spokesperson for Ukraine's Foreign Ministry, told a briefing that a personal meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump has been preliminarily agreed upon and could take place as early as September. According to him, the format of contact between the two leaders is not limited to an in-person meeting alone: if necessary, the situation may also call for a phone conversation. The MFA spokesperson emphasized that the peace process has currently intensified, so the need for additional contacts could arise at any moment.
Intensification of the Peace Process and Visits to Moscow and Kyiv
Tikhii noted that representatives of the U.S. president are attempting to find common ground between the parties to the conflict. In particular, he mentioned the recent visits by American negotiators to Moscow and Kyiv. "We understand that a genuinely active process is underway," the spokesperson stated. Over the past weekend, according to media reports, U.S. presidential special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited the capitals of Ukraine and Russia. Following these contacts, the American side announced "significant progress," including agreement on a schedule for additional trilateral negotiations.
New Ideas and a "Changed Reality"
Separately, Tikhii confirmed that Kyiv is aware of the new ideas, approaches, and elements currently being discussed within the diplomatic process. At the same time, the details of the proposals are not being made public: in the spokesperson's words, negotiations should leave the parties room for diplomatic work. "And we have new ideas, of course the Americans have new ideas, and the reality has indeed changed," he noted. According to him, since the previous peace plan options were discussed, the situation has changed both on the battlefield and in the airspace of Ukraine and Russia, which, in Kyiv's view, requires updating the approaches.
Trilateral Format and Russia's Position
Another possible step, Tikhii said, would be a return to the trilateral negotiation format involving Ukraine, the United States, and Russia. "We are also ready to resume the trilateral working format, and in our view, the format of a leaders' meeting remains the most effective in this regard," the MFA spokesperson stated. At the same time, Ukraine does not yet know whether Moscow is ready to return to such a format: it is Russia's position, according to Tikhii, that may determine the further course of the diplomatic process. "It depends on them whether the diplomatic process will move forward. Ukraine is ready for it," he concluded. Earlier, Volodymyr Zelensky had proposed the UN General Assembly in New York as a possible venue for new negotiations involving the United States.
Contradictory Data
Official statements and media publications contain minor discrepancies in wording and details. On the one hand, the spokesperson for Ukraine's Foreign Ministry uses the phrasing "the meeting has been preliminarily agreed," which indicates a high level of agreement but not a final confirmation of the date and location. On the other hand, some outlets present this information as "Trump and Zelensky may meet in September," i.e., in a more cautious, probabilistic tone. There is also a discrepancy on the venue: Zelensky publicly named the UN General Assembly in New York as a possible location for the talks, while other sources point to a possible White House meeting format. The exact date, location, and format (in-person meeting or phone call) were not officially fixed at the time of the briefing, which explains the caveats in both sides' wording.
