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Zelenskiy to meet Trump at UN to push energy truce

Volodymyr Zelenskiy will meet Donald Trump at the United Nations in New York on Tuesday to push for an energy truce with Russia.

SquawkNews Newsroom 2 updates Updated Sep 22, 2026, 05:03 AM UTC

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Zelenskiy-Trump talks expected on sidelines of UN in New York Talks come amid escalating Ukrainian and Russia air war Trump angered by damage to Russian oil refineries Ukraine hoping for energy ceasefire in time for winter By Tom Balmforth UNITED NATIONS, Sept 22 (Reuters) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is due to meet US President Donald Trump at the United Nations in New York on Tuesday, where he will push for an energy truce with Russia. Ukrainians fear Russia is gearing up to pound heating and power facilities this winter following intensifying aerial attacks by both sides that have battered ports, warehouses, ships and energy infrastructure, as well as crippling Black Sea exports. After speaking to Trump by phone on Sunday, Zelenskiy noted what he described as "diplomatic momentum" and "ideas for de-escalation steps", although Russia, which has more missile firepower, has not signalled it seeks to pause the air war. "Ukraine's energy sector, critical infrastructure, and our food exports must stop being targets for Russia, and this will lead to matching de-escalation steps on our part. Solutions are possible," Zelenskiy wrote on X on Monday. Trump, whose approval ratings have slumped to a record low amid high gas prices ahead of the US midterm elections in ‌November, has expressed concern over the extensive damage done to Russian oil refineries that have been pummelled by Ukrainian drone attacks. Trump announced last week that Ukraine and Russia had agreed not to strike energy targets, but any semblance of a truce disappeared when Russia hit petrol stations in Kyiv the following day and Ukraine bombed a Russian oil refinery. Some critics see Trump's focus on the Ukraine conflict as a deflection from his war on Iran, which has led to a significant spike in global energy prices. Zelenskiy's meeting with Trump will take place at the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is also expected in New York and due to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday. Russia 'Has Lost Control' Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday that "Russia has unfortunately lost control of its Diesel Oil industry due to its War with Ukraine" and "the whole World suffers". "This ridiculous and never ending War with Ukraine must be ended," Trump wrote. A person familiar with the matter said an energy ceasefire was one of the topics under discussion and that Trump had asked Zelenskiy to stop attacks on Russian oil refineries as part of a broader effort to de-escalate the conflict. Kyiv is loath to act alone, however, seeing the extensive damage it is inflicting on Russia's vital oil industry as its best way of forcing Moscow to the negotiating table. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack killed three people and pounded a Moscow oil refinery during a tightly controlled Russian election that consolidated the ruling United Russia party's grip on parliament. The Kremlin is widely expected to present the res

05:03:14 AM UTC

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Trump to meet at least 11 leaders on Tuesday, including Zelenskiy and Gulf state representatives Trump to sign accord increasing US military presence in Greenland while limiting rivals' access Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Trump's approval rating fell to all-time low of 32% By Gram Slattery and Humeyra Pamuk UNITED NATIONS, Sept 22 (Reuters) — Donald Trump is set for a whirlwind schedule of meetings with leaders from four continents at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, against the backdrop of an unstable Middle East and a four-and-a-half-year-old war in Ukraine that shows no signs of abating despite the US president's repeated attempts at mediation. Trump is expected to start the day with a speech to assembled delegates, before meeting with no fewer than 11 world leaders, bilaterally or in group settings. While the contents of his speech are unknown, Trump last year caused a stir with a combative speech, saying that their countries were "going to hell" for, among other things, climate policy and mass migration. Later in the day, Trump will meet with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Venezuela's interim leader Delcy Rodriguez, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, and the representatives of the Gulf states of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. In the evening, he may meet dozens more leaders, albeit briefly, during a leaders' reception. Trump met with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday. Additions to his Tuesday schedule are possible. The long list of foreign leader meetings reflects the US president's focus on foreign affairs during his second term, during which he has started multiple wars, questioned longstanding alliances, threatened allies with invasion and sought to broker well over a dozen conflicts, with mixed success. The US-Israeli war against Iran has been particularly consequential, driving up fuel prices globally, dragging down Trump's approval ratings and presenting a challenge for Republicans running in the November congressional midterm election. On Monday, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed Trump's approval rating falling to an all-time low of 32%, as his fellow Republicans soured on his handling of the cost of living. Among the closely watched meetings will be the seven-way gathering with the Gulf leaders, many of whom are alarmed by the recent advances of the Houthis, Iran-backed militants who have captured wide swathes of Yemen, attacked US ally Saudi Arabia and threatened shipping through the strategic Bab el-Mandab strait. Political allies and opponents will also be closely watching Trump's first-ever meeting with Venezuela's Rodriguez, who rose to power with the Trump administration's blessing after US forces snatched President Nicolas Maduro in January and took him to New York to face drug trafficking charges. Trump's allies say the US is working with Rodriguez to open Venezuela's oil sector to US

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to meet US President Donald Trump at the United Nations in New York on Tuesday, with energy truce talks with Russia expected to be on the agenda. The meeting comes as the air war between Ukraine and Russia intensifies, with both sides striking ports, warehouses, ships and energy infrastructure, and with Black Sea exports also being hit. Ukrainians fear Russia is preparing to target heating and power facilities this winter. After a call with Trump on Sunday, Zelenskiy said he saw what he described as diplomatic momentum and ideas for de-escalation steps.

Russia has not indicated it wants to pause the air war. "Ukraine's energy sector, critical infrastructure, and our food exports must stop being targets for Russia, and this will lead to matching de-escalation steps on our part. Solutions are possible," Zelenskiy wrote on X on Monday. The talks are taking place at the UN in New York on Sept 22.

Trump said last week that Ukraine and Russia had agreed not to strike energy targets, but that any sign of a truce disappeared when Russia hit petrol stations in Kyiv the following day and Ukraine bombed a Russian oil refinery. He said on Truth Social on Monday that Russia has "lost control" of its diesel oil industry because of its war with Ukraine and that "the whole World suffers". Trump also wrote that the "ridiculous and never ending War with Ukraine must be ended,". Zelenskiy is due to meet Trump at the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is also expected in New York and is due to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday. A person familiar with the matter said an energy issue has contributed to concern over the extensive damage done to Russian oil refineries, which have been hit by Ukrainian drone attacks, while critics say Trump's focus on the Ukraine conflict is a deflection from his war on Iran, which has led to a significant spike in global energy prices. Ceasefire was among the topics under discussion, and Trump had asked Zelenskiy to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries as part of a wider push to de-escalate the conflict.

Kyiv is reluctant to act on its own, however, seeing the damage it is inflicting on Russia's oil industry as its best leverage to bring Moscow to the negotiating table. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack killed three people and struck a Moscow oil refinery during a tightly controlled Russian election that strengthened the ruling United Russia party's hold on parliament. The Kremlin is widely expected to cite the result as evidence of public backing for Russian President Vladimir Putin's policies and the war.

Meeting hard to predict: the volatile relationship between Zelenskiy and Trump has seesawed since the US president took office last year and ended his predecessor's huge US-funded military aid for Ukraine. In February 2025, a meeting between the two leaders turned into a shouting match in the Oval Office, while their meeting at the United Nations last year prompted an abrupt rhetorical shift by Trump in Zelenskiy's favour, in which he said Ukraine could On Tuesday, Zelenskiy is set to discuss with Trump how Ukraine could obtain US-made Patriot air defence missiles for the winter if Russia is not prepared to de-escalate, a source familiar with the matter said.

Russia has sharply increased its use of jet-powered drones against Ukraine in recent months and in July fired the most ballistic missiles at Ukraine in a single month since the war began. The ballistic missiles are a major problem for Ukraine because they can only be intercepted by Patriot air defence missiles, which are in short supply.