Zelensky made the remarks at Ukraine’s Crimean Platform summit, held on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly, just before a Security Council meeting on the war that is now in its fifth year.
The proposed truce would aim to restore safe navigation for merchant vessels, which have been largely halted by heavy attacks on ships and port infrastructure by both sides, and would address Ukraine’s concerns that Russia may target power and heating facilities this winter.
Kyiv has been pressing for ceasefires covering attacks on energy infrastructure and Black Sea shipping, arguing that a maritime pause is essential for food security, as top wheat importers in Asia, the Middle East and Africa depend on Black Sea shipments and are confronting soaring global wheat prices.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Sept. 23, said both Moscow and Kyiv have expressed interest in a limited ceasefire involving grain and energy, although the Kremlin has not publicly backed the specific proposals.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that there are currently no prerequisites for broader peace talks, but Russia remains open to negotiations, while rejecting any immediate wider peace process.
Zelensky also said he would be ready to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at a trilateral summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, whom he met on Sept. 22, where they discussed a ceasefire on energy‑related targets.