Zelenskyy and Trump Meet at UN General Assembly

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with US President Donald Trump on September 23 during the UN General Assembly, with the aim of convincing him to more decisively support Kyiv's military efforts and impose new sanctions against Russia.

During the meeting, Donald Trump made a number of remarkable statements. He noted that Russia's actions in Ukraine are not impressive. "For them, this should have been quick. It seems that this will not end for a long time," said the US President.

More important was Trump's position on NATO allies. He stated: "NATO countries should shoot down Russian planes if they invade their airspace." However, when a journalist asked a clarifying question whether he would support NATO allies in such a move, Trump answered more cautiously: "It depends on the circumstances."

His answer to the question about his trust in Russian President Vladimir Putin was also noteworthy. Trump avoided a direct answer, saying: "I will give the answer in about a month."

According to a source in the Ukrainian delegation, one of the key goals of the meeting for Zelenskyy was the organization of a meeting between the leaders of Russia and Ukraine within the framework of Trump's peacemaking efforts. Trump supports the idea of a possible meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin, in which he himself might also participate. However, Moscow has stated that no such meeting is planned.

At the beginning of the meeting, Zelenskyy told reporters that he had "good news" to report from the front. In turn, Trump told reporters: "We have great respect for the struggle that Ukraine is waging. It is quite amazing."

It should be recalled that Kyiv does not currently expect new direct military aid from the US. The success of its military efforts at the moment largely depends on the exchange of US intelligence data and the new mechanism that allows Europe to buy American weapons, such as anti-aircraft defense systems.