Zelenskyy says Ukraine ready for maritime truce and puts onus on Russia to respond

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told leaders at the United Nations on Wednesday (September 23, 2026) that Ukraine was ready ​for a maritime truce in the Black Sea based on proposals by ‌Egypt, India and Turkey, and said it was ​now up to Russia to respond.

Mr. Zelenskyy spoke at Ukraine’s ⁠Crimean Platform summit on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly gathering of world leaders and ahead of a Security Council meeting on ‌Russia’s war in Ukraine, which is now in its fifth year.

Ukraine, which fears that Russia plans to pound ‌power and heating facilities with missiles and drones this winter, ‌has been ⁠pressing for ceasefires covering attacks on energy infrastructure and ⁠shipping in the Black Sea.