Trump, Zelenskyy Push for Russia–Ukraine War to End Before Winter

U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are pushing for the war between Russia and Ukraine to end before winter.

Trump and Zelenskyy met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 22 as the United States continues to seek an end to the war. In recent days, the Trump administration has repeatedly called for both countries to stop targeting each other’s energy infrastructure following an increase in these attacks.

During a bilateral press conference with Zelenskyy on Sept. 22, Trump told reporters that Russian President Vladimir Putin was willing to meet to discuss a peace deal with Ukraine. He added that he believed both Putin and Zelenskyy wanted to see the war ended.

“It’s time,” Trump said. “A lot of people [are] being killed, and they don’t want that.”

Zelenskyy also addressed the possibility of peace.

“I hope that we will end this war, and President Trump will help us to end this war. And I think that we [need] to do [it] as quick as possible before winter,” he told reporters.

Trump agreed with Zelenskyy, adding that it would be a “big thing” to have the war end before winter.

During his speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 22, Trump said his administration was working very closely with Moscow and Kyiv to resolve the ongoing war, which has lasted over four years.

Trump also suggested Tuesday that the war between Russia and Ukraine could be over sooner than people think.

“It’s going to happen, I think, more quickly than people understand,” he said.

Following Tuesday’s meeting with Trump, Zelenskyy released a statement on X, describing the discussion as both “positive” and “productive.”

“Both the U.S. and Ukraine want to see this senseless Russian war ended before winter. We discussed potential de-escalatory steps that can open up the way to diplomacy,” he wrote. 

In the meantime, Zelenskyy said the United States and Ukraine continue to discuss proposals for Patriot interceptor missile production in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian president said the missiles could help save Ukrainian lives if Russia decided to “spurn the negotiations and keep betting on ballistic missile terror against our people this winter and beyond.”

Zelenskyy told reporters that Raytheon, a U.S. defense contractor, is ready to have Patriot missiles produced in Ukraine. He added that Trump was “positive” about Ukraine obtaining licenses to produce the missiles, which Zelenskyy said could start in the next year and a half.

In his social media statement, Zelenskyy noted that other bilateral and multilateral issues were discussed during Tuesday’s meeting, including a winter air defense package for Ukraine.

Strikes on Energy Infrastructure

Ahead of Tuesday’s bilateral meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump was asked about Ukraine’s recent attacks on Russia’s oil refining facilities. Trump described the attacks as a “serious hit” not only on Russia but also on the price of diesel.

The U.S. president told reporters that he would discuss the issue with Zelenskyy.

As of Sept. 22, the average price of a gallon of diesel in the United States was $6.52, according to the American Automobile Association.

Asked about a potential temporary ban on diesel exports proposed by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and other U.S. lawmakers, Trump indicated he was in favor of the proposal to halt exports of American oil.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said at the same press briefing that the administration was considering whether a temporary ban was “feasible in terms of the overall capacity and whether a full or a partial ban would work.”

Regarding a timeline for the decision, Trump said it would be “fast, one way or the other.”

Trump previously announced in a Truth Social post on Sept. 4 that both Russia and Ukraine had agreed to stop carrying out strikes on energy infrastructure.

However, while Russia and Ukraine both initially signaled support for such a ceasefire, both countries have continued hitting energy targets, including Ukrainian gas stations and Russian oil and gas refineries.

On Sept. 21, Trump once again urged Ukraine to stop attacking Russian oil facilities, suggesting that Russia had “lost control of its diesel oil industry” and that the “ridiculous and never ending War with Ukraine must be ended.”

U.S. peace envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held meetings in Moscow and Kyiv earlier this month aimed at moving toward a peace deal after months of stalled talks.

Following the meetings, Witkoff said “substantive progress” had been made in the negotiation process, including the possibility of trilateral talks between the United States, Ukraine, and Russia.