Ukraine Denies Trump Suggested Zelensky Travel to Moscow for Putin Talks

The office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied a report that U.S. President Donald Trump had suggested Zelensky travel to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, pushing back on an account that had drawn attention amid renewed market focus on energy risks tied to the war.

Bloomberg had earlier reported, citing sources, that Trump made the proposal during a meeting with Zelensky on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, and that Zelensky declined. The Ukrainian presidential office rejected that account in comments reported on Friday, September 25, by Ukrainska Pravda.

“This is false information,” presidential communications adviser Dmytro Lytvyn told the Ukrainian outlet in response to the Bloomberg report.

The denial landed as investors and commodity traders monitored diplomatic signals around possible limits on attacks against energy facilities. Bloomberg reported that Washington had been pressing Moscow and Kyiv to agree to halt strikes on energy infrastructure against the backdrop of rising global diesel prices.

Energy Risk Keeps Diplomacy in Market Focus

The diplomatic track has taken on added significance for markets because attacks on energy assets can affect fuel supply expectations, refined-product pricing and broader risk sentiment. According to Bloomberg, Zelensky and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held separate meetings in New York this week with representatives of the Trump administration.

Those discussions came as global diesel prices were rising, putting additional attention on any potential arrangement that could reduce pressure on energy infrastructure. The source article did not provide market prices, trading volumes or specific moves in energy futures, but it linked the diplomatic push directly to concerns over diesel prices.

For traders, the key issue is not only whether talks occur, but where they occur and what format they take. Moscow has repeatedly emphasized that a meeting between Putin and Zelensky could take place only in Moscow. Kyiv has signaled interest in alternative formats and venues, while rejecting the reported suggestion that Zelensky travel to the Russian capital.

On September 25, Zelensky said trilateral talks involving the United States, Ukraine and Russia in a technical format could be held in the United Arab Emirates. That potential venue contrasts with Moscow’s stated preference and with other proposals that have been rejected.

The Kremlin recently dismissed Kyiv’s proposal to hold talks on ending the war during a G20 summit in Miami, where Washington had invited Putin. The Russian side has continued to frame Moscow as the only acceptable location for a direct Putin-Zelensky meeting.

Moscow Venue Remains a Sticking Point

On September 23, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Ukrainian president, “if he wants, can come to Moscow,” where he would be provided with the necessary security guarantees. That statement reinforced Russia’s long-running position that any direct meeting between Putin and Zelensky should happen in the Russian capital.

Bloomberg’s report added that sources close to Zelensky said the Ukrainian leader was upset by Trump’s alleged proposal. Kyiv’s denial, through Lytvyn, directly challenged the central claim that such a proposal had been made and rejected.

The question of a venue carries broader implications beyond protocol. A meeting in Moscow would carry political and security sensitivities for Kyiv, while a neutral-site technical format, such as the one Zelensky said could take place in the United Arab Emirates, would suggest a different diplomatic pathway.

The latest statements also fit into a longer sequence of claims about possible direct contact between the two leaders. In June, Putin said Zelensky had asked him for a personal meeting through a Russian businessman. Zelensky later said he had passed a message to the Kremlin leader through Roman Abramovich.

For markets, the immediate signal remains mixed. The Ukrainian side is denying the reported Trump proposal, while separate diplomatic contacts continue around energy infrastructure and possible technical talks. With diesel prices already a focus, any movement toward limiting attacks on energy facilities could remain closely watched by energy desks, emerging-market investors and broader risk markets.

At the same time, the dispute over where talks could take place underscores how difficult it remains to convert diplomatic activity into a concrete de-escalation. The competing accounts and venue proposals leave traders with headlines to monitor, but no confirmed agreement on talks between Putin and Zelensky and no reported deal on halting energy attacks.