Summary

Zelenskyy says US moves to restart Russia-Ukraine talks, backs Patriot production NEW YORK (TNND) — Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the United States has proposed new technical-level talks with Ukraine and Russia as the Trump administration pushes to revive negotiations aimed at ending the war. Zelenskyy said he and President Donald Trump agreed that their negotiating teams would brief European allies on the discussions while U.S. officials speak with Russia. He said the sides would return in about 10 days with their views and results. The United States has proposed the United Arab Emirates as a venue for a trilateral meeting involving Ukraine, Russia and the U.S., Zelenskyy said. He added that Kyiv is waiting for Washington to propose a date. The proposal does not amount to a ceasefire or a peace agreement, and it was not immediately clear whether Russia had agreed to participate. Talks at the technical level would likely involve negotiators and other officials, rather than the countries’ leaders, attempting to narrow differences over the war’s unresolved issues. Zelenskyy also said he asked Trump to urge Chinese President Xi Jinping to use Beijing’s influence over Moscow to help end Russia’s invasion. He said he had not yet received feedback from the White House about Trump’s talks with Xi. His comments follow his United Nations General Assembly address Wednesday, where he defended Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil facilities as a way of cutting Moscow’s war revenue. He urged countries to keep squeezing Russia’s revenue, saying trade with Moscow gives the war “more time.” Trump has pressed Kyiv to halt those strikes amid concerns about diesel prices, while Zelenskyy has said Ukraine is prepared to stop if Russia also stops attacking Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Zelenskyy also said Trump made a “final decision” to grant Ukraine licenses to produce Patriot missiles. The U.S.-made air-defense system is critical to Ukraine’s ability to intercept Russian ballistic-missile attacks, though establishing domestic production would take time and would not immediately resolve Kyiv’s need for interceptors. Ukraine has faced shortages of Patriot systems since the Iran war began, increasing pressure on Kyiv to secure a more reliable supply of interceptors. The announcement comes after Trump and Zelenskyy’s meeting on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.