Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, US President Donald Trump has waded into the conflict with pointed remarks, directly advising Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin and work toward a path to a peace agreement. Trump is pushing for an end to the war and a truce between the two nations.
Speaking to the media following a meeting with Zelensky on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Trump said Putin and Zelensky had been gradually moving toward accommodating each other over the past few years, and suggested the two leaders could soon arrive at a peace deal. He added that an announcement on the war’s end before the start of the coming winter would not come as a surprise, noting that Zelensky was strongly keen on bringing the conflict to a close by any means.
Zelensky, for his part, expressed hope that the White House would play a significant role in helping halt and ultimately end Russia’s aggression. Speaking at the UN, he called for tougher economic sanctions and trade restrictions on Russia, arguing that cutting off Moscow’s oil and trade revenues would leave it without the funds to sustain the war, forcing it to capitulate.
Even as talk of peace negotiations continues on one front, fighting between Kyiv and Moscow’s forces has intensified on the ground. Russian missile and drone strikes on several Ukrainian cities on Saturday night killed four civilians. The attacks destroyed a key Starlink satellite communication data centre in Kyiv along with several government and residential buildings. In response, Ukrainian forces struck major oil refineries and industrial sites inside Russia.