Zelensky holds call with Witkoff and Kushner: results of the Florida meeting and "next steps in diplomacy" discussed
Place: Kyiv, WashingtonRegion: Ukraine-wide and the front lineautomatic summary
Where the versions diverge
There are no factual discrepancies; Russian sources report only the fact of the call, while Ukrainian and independent media also cite Zelensky's words on shelling and air defence and the context of the crisis in relations with the US.
What Russia reports
automatic summary RIA Novosti, citing Zelensky's Telegram channel, reports his conversation with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner: they discussed the results of the meeting of the Ukrainian and American teams in Florida, and the teams are preparing the next steps in diplomacy.
“Провел разговор с представителями президента Америки Стивом Уиткоффом и Джаредом Кушнером”
- Зеленский сообщил, что провел разговор с представителями Трампа — RIA Novosti, 18 October, 17:40
What Ukraine reports
automatic summary Zelensky said he discussed the results of the Florida meeting with Trump's envoys and that the teams are "practically constantly" in contact; he raised Russian shelling and air-defence needs and stressed that a lot depends on America's position. The president did not specify which steps are being prepared or when.
“Постійно інформуємо партнерів про реальну ситуацію з російськими обстрілами, які не припиняються ні на хвилину, і питання ППО.
Саме від позиції Америки тут багато чого залежить.”
“Водночас президент не уточнив, які саме наступні дипломатичні кроки готують сторони та коли вони можуть відбутися.”
- Зеленський поговорив із представниками Трампа — Ukrainska Pravda, 18 October, 16:58
- Зеленський провів переговори з Віткоффом і Кушнером: про що домовлялися — Suspilne, 18 October, 17:15
- Зеленський провів нові переговори з командою Трампа: про що домовилися — RBC-Ukraine, 18 October, 17:24
What independent sources report
automatic summary DW places the call in the context of the crisis in Washington–Kyiv relations since early October: criticism of strikes on refineries, the "diesel deal" with the Kremlin, the temporary pause in intelligence sharing and the Starlink slowdown, which Washington denies. Al Jazeera writes that Zelensky's statement on the need to end the war and on preparing "next steps" came amid a significant diplomatic fallout with Trump, who the day before waived expected energy sanctions against Russia.
“Кризис в отношениях между Вашингтоном и Киевом продолжается с начала октября 2026 года из-за разногласий Трампа и Зеленского относительно дальнейшей стратегии Белого дома в отношении России.”
“the war with Russia “must be brought to an end””
“amid a significant diplomatic fallout with US President Donald Trump, who on Saturday waived expected sanctions targeting Russia’s energy economy”
- Зеленский поговорил со спецпосланниками Трампа Уиткоффом и Кушнером — DW (RU), 18 October, 17:43
- Russia’s war on Ukraine ‘must be brought to an end’, Zelenskyy says — Al Jazeera, 18 October, 21:11
- 'A great deal depends on America's position' — Zelensky holds call with Trump's peace envoys as US pivots to… — Kyiv Independent, 18 October, 17:18
Confirmation
Confirmation: confirmed by independent sources
The event is reported by international or exile independent outlets and no contradictions in the facts between the groups were detected. This does not mean the independent outlets verified every detail.
Automatic summary, may contain errors. Short summaries are written by a language model with no human review; titles, summaries and the “Where the versions diverge” block in English are an automatic translation of the Russian originals. Quotes are verbatim (checked by code), in their original language, with a link. The “Where the versions diverge” block only records differences in wording and figures and does not say who is right. Publication times are shown in Europe/Berlin time. Report an error in this card