Trump ‘Can And Should’ Do More: Zelensky Slams US-Russia Business Talks

Ukrainian negotiators will visit the United States for talks on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 9-10, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, urging US President Donald Trump to step up pressure on Russia. Zelensky announced the visit in Pryluky on Thursday, Oct. 8, following a deadly Russian missile attack, according to Reuters. The report did not identify the delegation’s members or their scheduled counterparts.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Trump “can and should” do more to push Putin toward negotiations, Zelensky said, according to Novyny.Live. While European support could help bring Moscow to the table, he said Washington and Trump personally had greater leverage to increase pressure on Russia. Zelensky accused Putin of escalating the war, saying genuine willingness to negotiate should be accompanied by de-escalation. He urged Ukraine’s partners to act together to reduce casualties and bring the war to an end. Trump “can and should” do more to push Putin toward negotiations, Zelensky said, according to Novyny.Live. While European support could help bring Moscow to the table, he said Washington and Trump personally had greater leverage to increase pressure on Russia. Zelensky accused Putin of escalating the war, saying genuine willingness to negotiate should be accompanied by de-escalation. He urged Ukraine’s partners to act together to reduce casualties and bring the war to an end. Other Topics of Interest Pentagon Adds 1,320 Ukrainian F10 Drones to Drone Dominance Order The company shipped the first 2,000 F10 drones to the US in July. Zelensky challenges economic talks with Russia The president questioned how discussions about economic cooperation with Moscow could continue while efforts to end the war remained stalled. “One cannot, on the one hand, negotiate with the Russians about future economic projects,” he said, while describing diplomacy as being in a “diplomatic stalemate.” Separately, Reuters reported on Thursday that US and Russian officials, including Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, and Kirill Dmitriev, had discussed bringing an American investor into the Nord Stream gas pipelines. A White House official said there had been no recent Nord Stream discussions. US and EU sanctions remain obstacles to any restart, and Germany opposes reopening the pipelines. Kyiv seeks concrete defense support Zelensky’s visit follows Russia’s Oct. 7 missile and drone barrage, which struck homes and energy infrastructure across Ukraine. In a separate Telegram statement on Thursday, he said the rescue operation at the destroyed five-story apartment building in Pryluky had ended. Twenty-two people were killed, including five children, and 54 were injured. Zelensky thanked partners who condemned the attacks but called for their statements to be followed by additional defense packages. He identified weapons to intercept ballistic missiles, ammunition for combat aircraft and investment in drone interceptors as immediate needs. The White House had previously proposed technical-level talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the US in the United Arab Emirates. Zelensky said in September that Kyiv was awaiting a proposed date. Ukrainian delegation heads to US for talks A Ukrainian delegation will visit the United States for talks on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 9-10, Zelensky said in Pryluky on Thursday, urging Trump to increase pressure on Russia, according to Reuters. RBC-Ukraine reported that the delegation would include Davyd Arakhamia, Rustem Umerov, Kyrylo Budanov and Serhiy Kyslytsya. Citing an unnamed source, the outlet said meetings would begin on Friday and focus on stepping up diplomacy and preparing a trilateral meeting between Ukrainian, US and Russian negotiating teams. The source suggested Washington could reach an agreement with Moscow to hold talks in the second half of October to discuss possible steps toward ending the war. That timetable has not been officially confirmed. Yuliia Zavadska is a news writer at Kyiv Post. She has experience in breaking news coverage, fact-checking, and digital journalism, with a focus on fast, accurate reporting and clear storytelling. Before joining Kyiv Post, she worked as a news feed editor for several leading Ukrainian media outlets.