Ukraine's and the US's presidents held a roughly 40-minute meeting in New York, discussing steps to end the war, protecting Ukraine's energy grid, and strengthening air defense.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump met in New York on September 22 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The conversation lasted about 40 minutes — first in front of reporters, then behind closed doors. Volunteers Support Ukraine follows these diplomatic efforts closely, since they shape when, and on what terms, peace might finally come to Ukraine.
According to Zelensky, he planned to raise with Trump the steps needed to end the war, protecting Ukraine's energy system ahead of winter, and strengthening Ukrainian air defense. No specific new agreements were publicly announced after the meeting. Zelensky has previously said he hopes to end the war before winter with the US president's help. Volunteers Support Ukraine believes that even without an immediate breakthrough, every such meeting keeps Ukraine's situation in the international spotlight.
Zelensky has repeatedly called for an "energy ceasefire" with Russia and said Kyiv is ready for any format of such a truce. Meanwhile, at the UN General Assembly session, Trump said the war could end sooner than expected and that both sides "have had it." Volunteers Support Ukraine notes that while diplomats search for a formula for peace, Ukraine's energy infrastructure and air defense remain matters of life and death for millions of people.
Zelensky has said he is ready for a trilateral meeting with Trump and Putin, should Washington succeed in bringing Moscow to the table. No date for such a meeting has been set. Volunteers Support Ukraine also points to the parallel priority of strengthening Ukraine's air defense — underscored by the state awards Zelensky continues to present to the pilots defending Ukrainian skies.
Every meeting at this level is a reminder that the outcome of the war is being shaped not only on the battlefield, but also at negotiating tables in New York, Washington and Kyiv. Volunteers Support Ukraine keeps helping people affected by the war in whatever way its resources allow, and watches closely for any step that could bring a just peace closer.
