MFA: Contact between Ukrainian, US presidents certain, possible on UN General Assembly sidelines
There will definitely be a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump; it is possible that it will take place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in late September.
According to an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent, Heorhiy Tykhy, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, made this statement during a briefing on Tuesday in Kyiv. "There will definitely be contact between President Zelenskyy and President Trump. There are preliminary agreements regarding face-to-face meetings this month," he said.
Responding to a question about a possible phone call, the spokesperson added that "such calls may take place as needed, especially since the peace process has now been activated."
"Representatives of President Trump are attempting to find common ground. They have made visits to Moscow and Kyiv. So we understand that an active process is indeed underway. Therefore, I would not rule out the possibility of a phone call. But I can confirm that a face-to-face meeting later this month has indeed been tentatively agreed upon. Tentatively," he said.
In response to a follow-up question from Interfax-Ukraine in this context regarding the Ukrainian president's participation in the 81st session of the UN General Assembly (general debate involving heads of state and government, September 22-28, 2026), Tykhy did not rule out a visit to New York by a Ukrainian delegation at the highest level.
"Practically every year, the President of Ukraine participates in the high-level segment marking the opening of the new UN General Assembly. As of now, I can confidently say that such plans are in place for this year as well, of course. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working out a detailed program, agenda, and elements – in short, the Ukrainian delegation's participation in the high-level segment of the UN General Assembly, specifically, possibly with the participation of the President of Ukraine," the Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.
However, he said the security situation is the most important factor at this time, and this "is the only reason we must speak about it carefully, using qualifying terms such as "likely," "planned," "scheduled," and so on."
"You all understand perfectly well that there is a security situation in Ukraine. And, presumably, the final decision will be made precisely based on that situation. As for a potential meeting, yes, this is one of the venues where a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump could potentially take place. But, again, we'll see closer to the time when confirmation is available, and we'll be happy to keep you informed," Tykhy said.
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he plans to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in September and will subsequently work on organizing a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the United States, and Russia.