Zelenskyy Meets Trump at UN to Discuss Ukraine’s Defense Needs and Energy Truce

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with US President Donald Trump in New York for a key bilateral meeting on the sidelines of his visit to the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. The talks focused on critical defense needs and diplomatic options to de-escalate the ongoing war, according to NV.

The encounter began with a brief seven-minute appearance in front of the press, during which both leaders shared initial remarks before continuing discussions behind closed doors.

An expanded-format negotiation session was tentatively scheduled for 8:15 PM on September 22.

The American negotiating team was led by President Donald Trump, alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. They were joined by the President's special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Representing Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy headed a delegation comprising high-ranking officials and security chiefs. The Ukrainian team included Head of the President's Office Kyrylo Budanov, Minister of Energy Denys Shmyhal, Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha, and Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service Rustem Umerov.

Asked by a reporter regarding Patriot production in Ukraine, Trump replied, “We will talk about this today,” highlighting the country’s industrial expertise by adding, “They are very capable people.” Commenting on options for resolving the conflict, he noted, “There are two options for ending the war. One is very bad, the other is the kind that can lift countries to greatness.”

“I hope we can end this war before winter, and that Trump will help with this,” Zelenskyy said.

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The core focus of the meeting centered on a potential framework to halt long-range strikes on energy infrastructure as a strategic step toward de-escalation during Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Ukrainian officials emphasized that Kyiv would support a pause on targeting energy assets only under the condition of a reciprocal, mirror-like cessation of strikes by the Russian side.

The meeting formed part of a wider diplomatic itinerary for Zelenskyy in New York, where the Ukrainian head of state is expected to conduct approximately 20 high-level bilateral engagements throughout his UN General Assembly visit.

In a post on X on September 21, Zelenskyy expressed cautious optimism following a phone call with Trump, noting “diplomatic momentum” and proposing that if Russia ceased attacks on Ukraine’s energy sector and food exports, Ukraine would take “matching de-escalation steps.”

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