Trump to meet with Zelensky as Russia-Ukraine attacks intensify

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said after a phone call with President Trump on Sunday that the two will meet this week on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Why it matters: The meeting comes as the White House works to broker an agreement between Russia and Ukraine to take reciprocal steps to deescalate and resume negotiations — and as fighting between the two sides has intensified in recent days.

Zelensky's chief negotiator and the head of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service, Rustem Umerov, told Axios he's been working with White House envoys in recent days to organize the meeting, which is expected to happen Tuesday.

Driving the news: The meeting will take place several days after Trump signed a Russia sanctions bill and approved the biggest arms deal between the U.S. and Ukraine since assuming office — two steps Ukraine has been pushing for months.

What he's saying: "An important conversation, and we got through a lot.

We agreed to meet in New York, and this meeting could change a lot.

There is diplomatic momentum," Zelensky wrote on X.

Zelensky said Ukraine is ready "to take really serious steps" to reach a deescalation deal with Russia.

Behind the scenes: A source familiar with the call said Trump repeatedly asked Zelensky to stop attacking Russian oil refineries.

The strikes are driving up global diesel prices.

"The word diesel came up many times during the call," the source said.

The intrigue: Earlier this week the Kyiv Independent reported that the Ukrainian government was "growing increasingly frustrated" with White House envoy Steve Witkoff.

The story came out several days after Witkoff and Trump adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner visited Kyiv for the first time since the war began.

Umerov told Axios the story was false.