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U.S. President Donald Trump said the war in Ukraine would end “sooner than people think” during his speech at the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York on September 22.
Trump said the United States was working closely with both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin and expressed confidence that the conflict would eventually be resolved.
“We’re going to solve it. I think it’s going to be sooner than people think. They’ve had enough,” Trump said.
Earlier in the day, when asked by a journalist what message he had for Putin, Trump replied: “Settle the war.”
Trump’s comments came ahead of his planned meeting with Zelenskyy in New York. The two presidents agreed to meet during a September 20 phone call, after which Zelenskyy said there was “diplomatic momentum” and that possible de-escalation measures and security issues would be discussed.
Zelenskyy has said Ukraine is preparing proposals on de-escalation, including issues related to energy security. On September 22, he also briefed U.S. senators in New York on the proposals he planned to discuss with Trump.
The planned talks come as Washington continues efforts to revive negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow while fighting continues. The U.S. and Ukrainian sides are also discussing Ukraine’s air-defense needs ahead of winter, including additional ballistic-missile interceptors.
