Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky used a press conference on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday to publicly challenge Russian President Vladimir Putin to a long-discussed three-way summit with President Trump, declaring he's ready to meet whenever it happens.

"I'm ready anytime," Zelensky told reporters in New York, according to multiple outlets covering the 81st UN General Assembly, where the Ukraine war and the parallel crisis with Iran have dominated sideline diplomacy this week.

Kremlin Pumps the Brakes

The public dare comes as the White House has reportedly been preparing groundwork for a trilateral meeting between Trump, Zelensky and Putin — an idea that has been floated on and off for months without materializing. But Russian officials have thrown cold water on the timeline: the Kremlin says a Trump-Putin-Zelensky sit-down is "unlikely to happen soon" and has gone as far as denying that Trump and Putin ever actually agreed to one in the first place.

"BE BRAVE, FINALLY AGREE"

Zelensky's framing has increasingly cast Putin as the reluctant party. Ukrainian officials have needled the Russian leader publicly, with Zelensky telling reporters in comments carried by Fox News that Putin should "be brave" and finally commit to the format.

The diplomatic sparring is playing out against a backdrop of continued fighting inside Ukraine and mounting pressure from Washington on both sides to reach some kind of framework before winter. Trump himself has separately told UN delegates this week that he is weighing a "big decision" on the broader conflict, while European leaders have used their own General Assembly appearances to press for firmer security guarantees for Kyiv.

No date or venue for a three-way meeting has been announced, and Kremlin skepticism suggests one may not be imminent. But with Zelensky now on record saying he'll show up "anytime," the pressure to actually schedule one — or explain publicly why it isn't happening — has shifted squarely onto Moscow.