Zelenskyy meets Trump at UN, calling for extra strain on Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday (September 23, 2025), calling for strain to be ramped up on Russia as he tries to steer the U.S. President to swing extra firmly behind Kyiv’s conflict effort.

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The Ukrainian chief informed reporters as he sat beside Mr. Trump initially of the assembly that he had “good news” to share from the battlefield the place Kyiv’s forces have been locked in fierce combating with Russia for over three and a half years.

“We need more pressure, more sanctions now with (the) United States, first of all (and) Europe,” he stated in opening remarks, including that he needed to debate Trump’s name for all remaining European powers to cease shopping for Russian power altogether.

Mr. Trump threatened financial measures towards Russia in his deal with to the U.N. General Assembly earlier, however stated he needed U.S. allies to take the identical steps and derided some European powers for persevering with to purchase Russian power regardless of the conflict.

Mr. Trump described his assembly with Mr. Zelenskyy as an “important” one on a busy day of talks.

The Ukrainian chief informed reporters he needed to debate U.S. involvement in Western safety ensures for Ukraine as a part of a future post-war settlement throughout their talks.

He was additionally anticipated to debate the best way to enhance Ukraine’s air defences and to arrange a gathering between the leaders of Russia and Ukraine as a part of Trump’s peace effort, a supply in Ukraine’s delegation informed Reuters forward of the talks.

Mr. Trump has pushed the concept of a gathering between Mr. Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, probably with him additionally collaborating, as a solution to make progress in his bid to finish the conflict launched by Russia in February 2022.

Moscow has stated no such assembly is deliberate and that the agenda must be nicely ready for it to occur. Kyiv has pointed to that as proof that Russia isn’t keen to deviate from its maximalist goals and is obstructing Trump’s efforts.

Ukraine adopts new pragmatic after disappointments

Kyiv’s hopes of profitable powerful new U.S. sanctions on Russia have been fading. A brand new pragmatism in Ukraine has made Zelenskiy’s newest talks with Trump much less fraught than earlier conferences, with classes learnt from February’s Oval Office bust-up.

Though Kyiv expects no new direct U.S. navy help, its conflict effort depends closely on U.S. intelligence sharing and a brand new mechanism that enables Europe to purchase it U.S. weapons resembling air defenses.

That makes preserving the connection with Mr. Trump important for Kyiv, though Ukrainians have been upset as he has reoriented coverage away from the unambiguous navy and diplomatic help Kyiv obtained from former President Joe Biden.

Ukrainians have been shocked when Trump gave purple carpet therapy to Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit in Alaska, and imagine Moscow won’t cease its conflict until it faces heavy exterior strain, together with sanctions.

Mr. Trump has repeatedly threatened to impose punitive financial measures on Russia, however has not adopted by on them as of but in what U.S. officers have stated is an effort to provide the push for peace an opportunity of succeeding.

The Ukrainian delegation has to this point used its journey to the U.N. to indicate the way it not solely wants navy and political help from its allies, however that it additionally has necessary expertise, data and assets to supply its allies.

Ukraine’s international minister stated on Monday that Kyiv could be able to combine its battle-hardened air defence community into these of its Western neighbours to help after NATO accused Russia of violating its airspace in Estonia and Poland.

Estonia stated final week that three Russian fighter jets entered its airspace and remained there for 12 minutes, whereas Poland denounced Russia for greater than a dozen drones that it stated entered its airspace.

Russia has accused the West of hysteria and denied that its jets entered Estonian airspace.