Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that the US authorities are already actively working to organize a face-to-face meeting between the leaders of the two countries. According to him, Washington "has proposals" regarding the format and venue of the negotiations. The statement was made during a conversation with journalists on October 17, 2026, and was reported by Ukrainian and international media.

Where the meeting might take place

Among the options being discussed, Zelenskyy named Middle Eastern countries—specifically the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The team of US President Donald Trump, according to him, has already voiced several specific proposals. The option of holding the meeting on US territory during the Group of Twenty summit is also not ruled out, although neither Washington nor Moscow has yet confirmed this possibility. Zelenskyy also noted that European capitals could become a venue for negotiations: "I know that Europeans are starting to make contacts regarding this. We will see the result a little later."

History of attempts and Moscow's position

It is not the first time the Ukrainian leader has proposed one-on-one negotiations to Putin, arguing that such a meeting could genuinely bring an end to the war closer. Zelenskyy emphasized his readiness to fly to any neutral country, but according to him, the Russian leader has rejected all options, insisting that the meeting take place exclusively in Moscow. A face-to-face meeting between the heads of state took place only once—on December 9, 2019, in Paris, as part of the Normandy format summit with the participation of the leaders of France and Germany. After the multilateral part of the program, Putin and Zelenskyy held a separate bilateral meeting to discuss the settlement of the conflict in Donbas.

Next steps

Zelenskyy announced that next week a new meeting could take place between the Ukrainian delegation and Trump's special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. This meeting, according to Kyiv's design, is to become part of a broader negotiation track aimed at ending the war. Thus, preparations for a possible meeting between the two presidents are proceeding in parallel with working contacts at the delegation level.

Context: sanctions and the "diesel deal"

In the same speech, Zelenskyy spoke out on the issue of sanctions policy, stating that in his estimation, the lifting of restrictions against Russia will continue, and the so-called "diesel deal" between Putin and Trump is only the first step in this direction. These statements were made against the background of ongoing diplomatic efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict.