Trump Urged Zelensky to Visit Moscow for Putin Talks at UN, Bloomberg Says

Former President Donald Trump pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to travel to Moscow for face‑to‑face peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, Bloomberg reported Thursday, citing officials briefed on the conversation. Zelensky declined the request, and the proposal reportedly upset him, according to people familiar with his position.

After the encounter, Zelensky responded to Russian journalists who asked about a possible trip to Moscow by saying he would go “on a rocket,” a remark that underscored his outright rejection of the idea. The exchange highlights the divergent diplomatic approaches to ending the war in Ukraine: Trump has long favored personal diplomacy with authoritarian leaders, while Kyiv insists any settlement must preserve its territorial integrity and security guarantees.

Bloomberg noted that Trump’s overture aligns with his preference for direct engagement, a stance that contrasts sharply with the current U.S. administration’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty. Previous trips to Moscow by Trump‑linked envoys such as Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner produced no breakthrough, and the Kremlin has expressed extremely low expectations for any new negotiating channel, sources familiar with Moscow’s thinking have said.

The report underscores the wide gap between Washington and Moscow as Trump‑associated figures pursue talks, while Russian leaders remain unwilling to soften their demands.