President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to meet in New York City this week, the Ukrainian leader announced on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. The meeting is scheduled to take place during the high-level week of the United Nations General Assembly, which begins on Tuesday, Sept. 22. Zelenskyy stated that the two leaders held a phone conversation to discuss diplomatic efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
The announcement follows recent diplomatic visits to Kyiv by Trump's envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, on Sept. 6. Those meetings were followed by a call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump has identified ending the conflict in Ukraine as a primary focus of U.S. foreign policy. The war is approaching its fourth year in February.
During their Sunday conversation, Zelenskyy thanked Trump for the recent envoy visit and for signing a Russia sanctions bill co-authored by the late Senator Lindsey Graham. Zelenskyy reported that the peace track is a "priority number one" and noted that there are ideas regarding de-escalation and security issues. These include energy security, food security, and the protection of human life. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that Ukraine is seeking a ceasefire in the energy sector and the Black Sea as potential results of the meeting.
For U.S. taxpayers and the international community, the meeting serves as a test of the Trump administration's foreign policy objective to resolve the conflict through trilateral talks. The scale of the conflict has already led to the approval of significant U.S. military aid, including a recent $2.6 billion air defense equipment sale to Ukraine. A resolution or de-escalation could shift the trajectory of federal defense spending and international trade sanctions that currently impact global markets.
What happens next: President Trump is scheduled to meet with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday, Sept. 21, before addressing the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, Sept. 22. The high-level week of the General Assembly officially commences on Sept. 22, providing the backdrop for the talks. A specific date and time for the head-to-head meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy have not yet been publicly confirmed.