Against the backdrop of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York, a meeting took place between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The meeting came amid active diplomatic contacts surrounding the settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and drew close attention from journalists, who sought concrete signals from the American leader on key issues — primarily the prospects for returning occupied territories to Ukraine and the timeline for ending hostilities.
Evasive answer on the question of territories
During the meeting, a journalist reminded Trump of his own statement made a year earlier at the UN General Assembly, in which the US president had asserted that Ukraine would be able to recover its entire territory. When asked whether he still held this position, Trump did not give a direct assessment of the prospects for the return of all territories. “I think they (Ukraine and Russia — ed.) will reach an agreement. I don't want to say what exactly this agreement will be about,” the American leader stated, thereby failing to clarify whether he considers the return of all occupied lands to Ukraine possible. He also provided no specific details of a potential agreement.
US position on ending the war
On the same day, speaking at the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, Donald Trump stated that the war in Ukraine would end “sooner than people imagine.” Upon arriving at the General Assembly session, the US president also addressed the Kremlin with a direct appeal: “Stop the war.” Thus, Washington's public rhetoric combines a promise of swift results with a refusal to detail the terms of a future settlement.
Kyiv's hopes for peace by winter
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in turn, expressed hope that, with Donald Trump's help, the war in Ukraine could be ended by winter. Kyiv's position, accordingly, is built on the expectation that American diplomatic support will become a key factor in achieving a cessation of hostilities within a foreseeable timeframe, although the specific parameters of the agreement have not been publicly disclosed by either side.
Contradictory data
There are notable discrepancies between the parties' public statements and the assessments of sources. On the one hand, a year ago Trump directly stated the possibility of returning all territory to Ukraine, whereas at the current meeting he dodged confirming this position, settling for a general formula about an “expected agreement” without details. On the other hand, some sources, in particular a publication on 19rusinfo.ru with the provocative headline that Zelensky allegedly “flew in to hypnotize Trump and dictate terms,” is opinion-based and unverified and is not supported by facts from primary reports. In this regard, a direct comparison of Washington's past and current positions on the territorial issue remains a matter of interpretation, and the details of the future agreement have not been officially disclosed by either side.
