Zelensky: US Preparing Proposal for Trilateral Summit

US officials are formulating a proposal to convene a trilateral summit between the leaders of Ukraine, the US, and Russian, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Saturday, Oct. 17. Speaking with journalists, Zelensky disclosed that Washington is actively reviewing potential venues to host direct leader-level negotiations, with potential options including the upcoming Group of 20 summit in the United States, locations across the Middle East, or a European host nation.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “The United States is working on this. They have a proposal for a trilateral meeting,” Zelensky said. “This meeting could take place in one of the countries of the Middle East. The United States frequently mentions the Emirates or Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, this meeting could take place in the United States during the G20 summit.” Zelensky noted that European governments have also initiated diplomatic outreach regarding the possibility of hosting the high-level consultations within Europe. However, the Ukrainian head of state stressed that neither the US nor the Russia has formally confirmed the summit parameters. “There is also the option of a European country, and the Europeans have already started contacts regarding this,” Zelensky added. “Neither the Russian side nor the American side has confirmed it yet, so we will talk about the results when there are any.” G20 considerations The potential inclusion of the G20 platform aligns with recent diplomatic maneuvers surrounding the multilateral leaders’ summit scheduled to convene in Miami, Florida, this December. Other Topics of Interest Ukraine in Talks With Trump Envoys Over Energy Truce Ukraine is in active contact with US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff to plan meetings focused on securing an energy ceasefire, Volodymyr Zelensky said. Earlier on Saturday, US President Donald Trump told reporters that he remains uncertain whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the Miami gathering, but affirmed that he “would love to have him” participate. However, prospective leader-level discussions in the United States face significant diplomatic and legal complexities. EU leadership has strongly criticized overtures inviting the Russian head of state, citing unsealed US criminal indictments against Russian intelligence operatives and an outstanding arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague charging Putin with war crimes connected to the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children. Alternative venues in the Middle East – specifically the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia – have frequently served as neutral diplomatic conduits during the conflict, facilitating bilateral prisoner-of-war exchanges and high-level backchannel discussions between Kyiv, Washington, and Moscow. Bilateral envoy coordination The proposal for a trilateral summit follows intensive diplomatic coordination between Kyiv and White House envoys over recent days. Zelensky confirmed earlier on Saturday that Ukrainian negotiators, led by National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, held substantive consultations on Friday, Oct. 16, with US special diplomatic envoy Jared Kushner. The discussions focused on establishing a timetable, venue, and working format for upcoming in-person bilateral meetings, which Kyiv expects to finalize within the coming week. “Yesterday our negotiating group was in contact: Umerov spoke with Kushner,” Zelensky previously stated. “They are arranging a meeting, and I am also ready to meet with them. We support the possibility of dialogue – anything to stop Putin, at least in the format of an energy ceasefire.” The outreach coincides with parallel backchannel diplomacy pursued by Washington. Russian state news agency TASS previously reported that Kushner alongside fellow US special envoy Steve Witkoff could travel to Moscow in mid-to-late October following an Oct. 9 telephone consultation between Trump and Putin. Despite the Trump administration’s efforts to organize direct discussions, the Kremlin has maintained an unyielding diplomatic stance. Following the Oct. 9 telephone call, Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told Russian state media that Putin rejected resuming formal peace negotiations, asserting that Russian forces hold the operational initiative across the front line and intend to pursue military operations until all stated objectives are fulfilled. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.