---
title: "Trump dodged a question on returning occupied territories to Ukraine at meeting with Zelensky in New York"
description: "At the meeting in New York, Trump dodged a direct answer on returning occupied territories to Ukraine, stating only that an agreement is expected. Zelensky expressed hope for ending the war by winter."
date: 2026-09-22T18:46:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/trump-zelensky-meeting-ukraine-territories
tags: [trump, zelensky, ukraine, russia, un-general-assembly, peace-talks]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Trump dodged a question on returning occupied territories to Ukraine at meeting with Zelensky in New York

![Donald Trump answers questions about the fate of Ukraine's occupied territories during his meeting with Zelensky in New York, with the US flag and UN emblem in the background](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/22/trump-zelensky-vstrecha-territorii-ukrainy/trump-zelensky-vstrecha-territorii-ukrainy-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- At the meeting with Zelensky in New York, Trump did not directly answer whether Ukraine would recover all occupied territories, limiting himself to a statement about an expected agreement.
- At the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, Trump stated that the war would end “sooner than people imagine” and called on the Kremlin to “stop the war.”
- Zelensky expressed hope that, with Trump's help, the war could be ended by winter.
- There is a discrepancy between Trump's direct statement last year about the return of all territory and his current evasive position; the details of the agreement have not been disclosed.

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.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Trump dodged the question of whether Ukraine would be able to recover its territories](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/tramp-unik-vidpovidi-zapitannya-te-chi-vdastsya-1790102536.html) - Основной источник: цитата Трампа об «ожидаемом соглашении», напоминание о прошлогоднем заявлении, призыв «остановить войну», заявление о скором завершении войны.
- [Zelensky and Trump met in New York](https://modern.az/ru/mir/804213/zelenskiy-i-tramp-vstretilis-v-nyu-yorke/) - Подтверждает сам факт встречи президентов в Нью-Йорке.
- [Zelensky - Trump meeting: Peace is needed as soon as possible](https://korrespondent.net/ukraine/4914005-vstrecha-zelenskyi-tramp-nuzhen-myr-poskoree) - Подтверждает встречу и общий контекст стремления к скорейшему миру.
- [Now I will be a cobra: Zelensky flew to New York to hypnotize Trump and dictate terms on ...](https://19rusinfo.ru/politika/128040-teper-ya-budu-udavom-zelenskij-priletel-v-nyu-jork-gipnotizirovat-trampa-i-stavit-usloviya-po-dizelyu) - Провокационный оценочный заголовок, не подкрепленный фактами; использован только для отражения расхождений в блоке противоречий, факты из него не цитировались.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: Did Trump directly answer whether Ukraine would recover all occupied territories?
**A:** No. At the meeting in New York, Trump dodged a direct answer, stating only that, in his view, Ukraine and Russia would reach an agreement, and refusing to speak about its contents.

### Q: What did Trump say about the timeline for ending the war?
**A:** Speaking at the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, he stated that the war in Ukraine would end “sooner than people imagine,” and upon arriving at the session he called on the Kremlin to “stop the war.”

### Q: What expectations did Zelensky express?
**A:** The President of Ukraine expressed hope that, with Trump's help, the war in Ukraine could be ended by winter.

### Q: Are there discrepancies in Trump's positions on the territories?
**A:** Yes. A year ago at the UN General Assembly he stated that Ukraine would be able to recover its entire territory, whereas at the current meeting he did not confirm this position and settled for a general formula about an expected agreement without details.