Zelensky wants to end the war before winter: what Trump promised to pass to Putin

Volodymyr Zelensky hopes that with the help of Donald Trump the war can be brought to an end even before winter arrives. However, after a 40-minute meeting between the presidents in New York, only Ukrainian proposals on halting strikes on energy infrastructure and possible U.S. assistance in producing Patriot missiles were disclosed. No concrete agreements on ending the war were announced by either side.

The meeting between the presidents of Ukraine and the United States took place on 22 September on the sidelines of the 81-th session of the United Nations General Assembly. According to official statements, Zelensky and Trump discussed diplomatic paths to ending the war, potential steps to reduce tensions, energy security, and strengthening Ukraine’s air defense ahead of winter.

The American side had not released its own version of the negotiations at the time this material was written. Trump himself, before the meeting, answered questions from journalists mostly evasively, reiterating theses he had voiced many times before. Zelensky, during a press briefing, gave somewhat more information about talks behind closed doors, though he did not delve deeply into details.

Media reports say the talks lasted about 40 minutes, although initially the meeting between the presidents was allocated an hour. From the Ukrainian side, Kirill Budanov, Andriy Sibiga, Rustem Umerov, and David Arakhamia also took part.

The main thing that came out from Zelensky was the hope to end the war before winter with the help of the American president.

“I hope that we can put an end to this war. President Trump will help us with that, and I think it should be done as quickly as possible before winter,” Zelensky said at the start of the meeting.

It is hard to say what arouses more doubt here: Trump’s ability to persuade Putin to make real concessions or the very possibility of ending the war before winter. After all, while the Ukrainian president speaks of a quick halt to hostilities, Moscow has not shown any convincing signals of readiness to abandon aggression.

However, judging by the statements of both presidents, the New York talks were not only about prospects for peace negotiations. One of the main topics was Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries and the possibility of a mutual halt to attacks on energy infrastructure.

Trump spoke about strikes on Russian refineries but was silent on sanctions.

Even before the talks began, Trump told journalists that he intended to discuss with Zelensky strikes by Ukrainian forces on Russian oil refining facilities.

According to the American president, these attacks already affected the fuel situation in Russia.

“It has had a serious impact on the price of diesel fuel. The price of diesel has risen significantly, but we will talk about it. It certainly hit Russia hard,” Trump said.

However, the American president did not explain what exactly he wanted to achieve from Ukraine during this discussion. Whether it was about stopping strikes on Russian refineries or about a broader agreement on energy infrastructure of both countries, his answers made it impossible to discern.

Equally evasive was Trump’s response to questions about Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

Journalists reminded him that last year at the UN General Assembly he expressed the view that Ukraine should regain all its territories, and asked whether he still holds this position.

“I think they will come to an agreement. I don’t want to say what kind of agreement it is,” Trump replied.

Thus, Trump did not give a direct answer to the question about the possibility of restoring Ukraine’s territorial integrity. He also did not explain what conditions for a future agreement he would consider acceptable.

There was no concrete information on sanctions against Russia either. When journalists asked if Trump was ready to impose the promised hard restrictions on Moscow, he only noted that it concerns a strict law.

In fact, the question of additional American pressure on the Kremlin remained unanswered.

Instead, speaking about prospects for ending the war, Trump repeated his long-standing thesis about allegedly shared aspirations for peace by Putin and Zelensky.

“Both Putin and Zelensky want the war to end. It’s time. Too many people are dying, and no one wants that,” he said.

At the same time, the American president did not explain on what their conviction that Putin truly wants to end the war is based. He also did not specify what concessions, in his view, the Russian leader would be willing to make to stop the fighting.

Trump also suggested a possible new personal meeting with Putin, though he expressed doubt that the latter would attend the G20 summit in Miami. Earlier American media had reported that Putin’s participation in that summit was unlikely.

Separately, Trump commented on the possibility of a war between Russia and Great Britain. He assured that he did not expect such a development, while criticizing the rhetoric of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

“A war between Great Britain and Russia? I think everything will be fine. Keir Starmer’s rhetoric was too harsh. We need to be a little more cautious. I think the new prime minister will be good,” the American president said.

Thus, ahead of Zelensky’s meeting, Trump again demonstrated a willingness to discuss a quick end to the war, but did not name the concrete steps that the United States is ready to take for this.

Zelensky suggested Putin halt strikes on energy: but with one condition.

After the talks, Zelensky said that during his conversation with Trump the American side did not make any demands for Ukraine to unilaterally halt strikes on Russian territory.

“Today, there was not a single request for Ukraine to stop strikes on Russia,” the president emphasized.

At the same time, Kyiv proposed a possible agreement on mutual cessation of attacks on energy infrastructure. Its essence is that Ukraine is ready to give up strikes on Russian oil refining facilities if Moscow stops attacks on Ukraine’s energy system and water supply.

“If they don’t want us to strike their oil refining capacities, then they should not touch our energy system and water supply. You don’t attack ours — we will leave yours alone,” Zelensky explained.

According to the president, Ukraine is ready to consider any format of such an agreement. The American side, as Zelensky said, promised to pass the Ukrainian proposal to the Russians.

However, there is no information yet about Moscow’s consent to mutual cessation of energy strikes. It is also unknown whether the sides discussed specific mechanisms to monitor compliance with such an agreement.

Zelensky separately emphasized that Ukraine does not agree to stop strikes on Russian facilities without corresponding steps from Russia.

“We are not donors, especially toward Putin. If you want us not to respond with strikes on diesel production, refining, etc.—we will not do so. We are responsible. I don’t want to play games. He attacks us — we respond,” the Ukrainian president said.

This is a fundamental difference between unilateral cessation of strikes and the Kyiv-proposed agreement. Ukraine does not offer Moscow an unconditional stop to attacks on its energy facilities, but ties such a step to stopping Russian strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure.

With winter approaching, the issue takes on special significance, as Russian attacks on power plants, substations, and other energy system facilities directly affect the ability to provide Ukrainians with light, heat, and water.

At the same time, strikes on oil refineries remain one of the tools of pressure by Ukraine on the Russian economy and fuel supply. Trump himself acknowledged before the meeting that these attacks have already noticeably affected Russia.

Therefore, the Ukrainian proposal essentially provides for exchanging mutual commitments, not a unilateral concession by Kyiv.

Whether Putin will agree to this remains unknown. Zelensky only said that Washington is ready to convey the relevant proposal to Moscow. No announcements were made about any agreements reached between Ukraine and Russia after the New York meeting.

Ukraine wants to manufacture Patriot missiles: Trump gave an encouraging answer, but no guarantees.

Another topic of the talks was boosting Ukraine’s air defense, including the possibility of obtaining a license to produce missiles for the Patriot system.

According to Zelensky, Trump reacted positively to Ukraine’s request to help speed up this process. However, the American president did not make a final decision.

“We need licenses to produce Patriot systems. Raytheon is ready. We asked the president to help speed up this process. He is positive about issuing licenses,” Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian president also acknowledged that even with a favorable development, implementing such a project would take a long time.

“Maybe a year, or maybe a year and a half, but it is a project aimed at the future,” he explained.

So, it is not about the possibility of immediately providing Ukraine with additional missiles before the upcoming winter, but about the prospect of creating production capabilities in the future.

So far, it is unclear whether the United States will officially greenlight transfer of the relevant technologies and licenses, and under what conditions Ukraine would be able to begin production. Zelensky said only that Trump’s stance on the idea is positive and that work between the two teams will continue.

For Ukraine, the possibility of producing Patriot missiles has direct importance, since such systems remain one of the key means of defense against Russian ballistic missiles. At the same time, even a positive U.S. decision will not solve the missile shortage in the coming months.

Therefore, the issue of current arms supplies and protection of energy facilities ahead of winter remains separate from long-term plans for Patriot production in Ukraine.

Zelensky again proposed meeting Putin.

During the talks in New York, the Ukrainian president also confirmed readiness for a personal meeting with Putin mediated by Trump.

Zelensky believes the American president could organize a trilateral meeting in which the leaders of Ukraine, the United States, and Russia would discuss key issues and try to find a path to ending the war.

“Trump can organize a trilateral meeting where the leaders can discuss all important issues and try to end the war. I am ready to meet Putin at any time,” Zelensky said.

However, no specifics about such a meeting were reported. It is unknown whether Putin agrees to the proposed format and whether Trump is ready to organize talks with the three presidents in the near future.

For now, there is only confirmation of Ukraine’s readiness to engage in high-level negotiations. There is no information on agreeing on a location, time, or agenda for a possible trilateral meeting.

Meanwhile, diplomatic contacts to reduce tensions continue at the level of Ukrainian, American, and European representatives.

As Axios journalist Barak Ravid wrote on X, citing two informed sources, Trump aides Steve Cheung and Jared Kushner are meeting in New York with the Ukrainian negotiating team and security advisers from Britain, France, and Germany.

According to the journalist, participants are discussing Ukrainian proposals on a de-escalation agreement with Russia.

The contents of these proposals are not fully disclosed. There is also no information on whether the sides have managed to agree on a common position or determine concrete next steps.

However, the very fact of continuing talks with European state representatives suggests that Ukrainian proposals are being discussed not only during personal meetings of the presidents.

Peace before winter: what the New York meeting really gave

Despite Zelensky’s stated hope to end the war before winter, the results of the talks with Trump do not yet justify talking about a final peace agreement.

The most concrete initiative announced by the Ukrainian president was the proposal for mutual cessation of strikes on energy facilities. Yet even this arrangement remains only in the form of a Ukrainian proposal, which Washington promised to convey to Moscow.

The question of Patriot missiles production also remains open. Trump, according to Zelensky, responded positively to the Ukrainian request but did not make a final decision. Moreover, implementing such a project would take at least a year.

There was also no concrete information about a possible trilateral meeting of Zelensky, Trump, and Putin. The Ukrainian president confirmed readiness for negotiations, but there is no information about Russia’s consent or a scheduled date for a meeting.

At the same time, Trump himself before the talks did not give a direct answer to either the question of whether Ukraine should regain all its territories or the question of imposing new tough sanctions on Russia. His statement that Putin allegedly also wants to end the war remained without explanation.

Thus, after the New York meeting we have yet another declaration of a desire for a quick peace, a Ukrainian proposal for an energy truce, and continued diplomatic contacts. But there is still no confirmation that Moscow is ready to end the war before winter.

And if Zelensky hopes for Trump’s help, the main question remains unchanged: what exactly is the American president ready to do to compel Putin to stop prolonging the war?

So far, the answer to that question after a 40-minute closed-door meeting has not been forthcoming.