Police officers stand in front of an apartment building which was damaged by an overnight Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Sept. 21, 2026. (Credit: Stringer/ Reuters)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday in New York, where both leaders will take part in the United Nations General Assembly, a source with knowledge of the matter told AFP.
The meeting is planned "sometime on Tuesday afternoon," the source told AFP on Monday, and comes as Washington pushes for fresh direct peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv to end the four-and-a-half-year war.
Efforts led by Washington to broker a deal to end the hostilities have stalled in recent months, as the United States has shifted focus to its conflict with Iran.
Both Russia and Ukraine have meanwhile intensified long-range strikes on each other, with Kyiv hitting a number of Russian oil refineries.
Trump on Monday said Russia had "lost control" over its oil industry.
"A large number of their Diesel refineries have been blown up and are, at least temporarily, out of commission," Trump said on his Truth Social platform, calling for an end to the war.
In a response to the post, Zelensky said on X that there were "ideas on the table for bringing peace closer, starting with strong de-escalation steps."
"Ukraine's energy sector, critical infrastructure, and our food exports must stop being targets for Russia, and this will lead to matching de-escalation steps on our part. Solutions are possible," he said.
Last week, Trump said that Ukraine and Russia had agreed not to target each other's energy facilities, a day after he chastised Kyiv for hitting Russian oil refineries.
In a call with Zelensky on Sunday, Trump "mentioned" a request for Kyiv to stop strikes on Russian refineries but "didn't demand it," the source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP.
"It was discussed. It was part of the discussion on de-escalation measures," they added.
