Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Donald Trump to organize a trilateral meeting with him and Vladimir Putin as the war between the countries continues to rage on.
In a social media publication after his meeting with Trump, Zelenskyy said he is ready to end the war but he is not sure whether Moscow "is ready as of today."
He went on to propose an "energy ceasefire if they do not attack our energy system, our electricity, heating, and water supply." And called for Trump to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping so he can put pressure on Putin to organize a meeting.
"I think the most important move President Trump can make – he can organize a trilateral meeting where the leaders can raise all the sensitive issues and try to end the war," Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian President also asked Trump for a "winter package of Patriot missiles" and licenses to produce them in the country. "We also need security guarantees for Ukraine," he said.
Trump called for an end to the war this week, saying "The whole World suffers as 25,000 people, mostly soldiers, are being killed each month."
He also said Russia has "unfortunately lost control" of its diesel industry as Ukraine keeps hitting energy infrastructure.
In a social media post, Trump said that a "large number of their Diesel refineries have been blown up and are, at least temporarily, out of commission."
The U.S. Congress recently passed the Lindsey Graham bill into law, named after the late Republican senator and staunch Ukraine ally. It sanctions Putin, senior Russian government officials as well as the Russian "shadow fleet", a clandestine network of ships which Russia uses to move crude oil while bypassing sanctions by G7 and EU countries.
It is unclear whether Russia would be open to de-escalation. Putin's United Russia party retained its commanding majority in the country's parliament after a three-day election held under tight political controls.
The election was Russia's first parliamentary vote since Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Putin had presented the election as a measure of public backing for his government and its conduct of the war, while United Russia campaigned heavily on military and patriotic themes.
The vote also took place in Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, and in Russian-held parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Moscow claimed the four regions as Russian territory after holding referendums there in 2022 that Ukraine and Western governments rejected.
