On Thursday, October 8, Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists that the next day the Ukrainian team would meet in the US with Donald Trump's special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. According to him, Kyrylo Budanov, Kyslytsya, Arakhamia and Umerov will travel from Ukraine. The meetings are scheduled for October 9–10.
The most important part of this statement is the wording about the Europeans. The president said Kyiv “is counting on a European team” that will join both the Ukrainian and the American groups. This is one side's expectation, not confirmed participation. In the reports we have seen, there is no list of European participants, no indication of their level, and no confirmation from Washington or European capitals.
What is already established and what is not
- Established: the composition of the Ukrainian delegation, the start date, the two-day format. These are organizational facts that Kyiv controls itself.
- Announced but not confirmed: the joining of a European team. It determines whether the conversation will be bilateral with a parallel European track, or truly trilateral.
- Unknown: what exactly will count as a result. Ukrainian media, citing the president, write about a search for steps to reduce the intensity of hostilities. Options mentioned include a sectoral ceasefire, in particular on energy and at sea. Kyiv does not specify which of them is more realistic.
Two tracks in one trip
Zelensky separately stressed that with the Europeans Kyiv will discuss money and how to bring it closer, as well as air defense. This is no longer a negotiation on a ceasefire but a conversation about resources. Its implementation mechanism is different: decisions on funding and deliveries are made by governments and parliaments, not by a negotiating room in the US.
So the phrase “the Europeans will join” can mean two different things. First, European representatives sit at the table when the parameters of a possible ceasefire are discussed. Second, they hold parallel meetings with the Ukrainians on the sidelines. For Kyiv the difference is significant. In the first case, Europe is a co-author of the agreements and has oversight tools. In the second, it merely receives information about the outcome.
What gets checked first
Zelensky expects the team to return to Kyiv on Monday morning with a report. That will be the first test: will the report contain anything beyond a list of meetings? Signs of commitments would be written parameters of any ceasefire, a named party that would monitor it, and a start date. Without these three points, “agreed to discuss” remains a declaration.
The question that will be answered within days: after returning, will Kyiv name specific European participants and a specific sectoral format? If not, the main outcome of the trip will most likely be merely a continuation of dialogue with Washington.
