---
title: "Zelensky Expresses Hope to End the War by Winter with Trump's Help on the Margins of the UN GA"
description: "On the margins of the 81st UN GA session, Zelensky expressed hope to end the war by winter with Trump's help. The American leader stated that both sides want peace and called on the Kremlin to stop hostilities."
date: 2026-09-22T18:08:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/zelensky-trump-war-winter-un-ga
tags: [ukraine-war, trump, zelensky, un-general-assembly, peace-talks]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Zelensky Expresses Hope to End the War by Winter with Trump's Help on the Margins of the UN GA

![Zelensky and Trump meet: talks on ending the war by winter on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/22/zelensky-trump-war-winter-un-ga/zelensky-trump-war-winter-un-ga-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Zelensky, on the margins of the 81st UN GA session, stated that he hopes to end the war by winter with Trump's help.
- Trump stated that, in his assessment, both Ukraine and Russia want the war to end, and that this will happen "faster than people imagine."
- Upon arriving at the UN GA, in response to a journalist's question, Trump conveyed a message to the head of the Kremlin: "Stop the war."
- Zelensky earlier reported that he intended to discuss an energy and maritime ceasefire at his meeting with Trump.

On the margins of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York, a meeting took place between the presidents of Ukraine and the United States, Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump. According to RBC-Ukraine, based on a broadcast of the negotiations, the Ukrainian leader publicly set a timeline for resolving the conflict and tied it to the role of the American president. This statement came on the same day that Trump was speaking at the General Assembly podium and, separately, upon arriving at the UN grounds, was commenting to journalists on his attitude toward Moscow.

### Hope to End the War by Winter

Volodymyr Zelensky stated: "I hope we will be able to end this war by winter, and Trump will help with that." Thus, the Ukrainian president not only set a target deadline — before the onset of winter — but also directly pointed to the role expected of the American leader in achieving this outcome. The wording carries the character of a public hope rather than a confirmed agreement on timelines, which is important to consider when interpreting the statement.

### Trump's Position: Both Sides, in His Words, Want Peace

In response, Donald Trump emphasized that, in his assessment, both the Ukrainian president and the Russian leader want the war to end. On the same day, speaking at the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, the American stated that the end of the war in Ukraine will come "faster than people imagine." In addition, upon arriving at the UN GA grounds, in response to a journalist's question about what message he would like to convey to the head of the Kremlin, Trump replied succinctly: "Stop the war."

### Energy and Maritime Ceasefire as a Topic of Negotiations

Earlier, Volodymyr Zelensky reported that during his meeting with Donald Trump in New York he intended to discuss the possibility of introducing an energy and maritime ceasefire. This indicates that the agenda of the bilateral negotiations included specific formats for halting hostilities along individual fronts, not just a general narrative about an imminent peace.

### Contradictory Data

When comparing materials from different publications, differences in emphasis and wording are evident. First, the timelines formulated by the parties differ: Zelensky speaks of ending the war "by winter," while Trump uses a more indefinite and, in essence, more optimistic formulation — "faster than people imagine." Second, the headline of one of the materials (gazeta.ru) mentions a "meeting with Putin" in the context of the New York negotiations, whereas the main reports (RBC-Ukraine and others) refer to a meeting between Zelensky and Trump, and regarding Moscow — only to Trump's public message ("Stop the war"), not to a confirmed personal meeting between the two leaders. Thus, the version of a personal Trump–Putin meeting in this context is not confirmed by the main sources and requires cautious interpretation.

The outcome of the day on the margins of the UN GA was the coincidence of public signals from both sides about the desirability of ending the conflict, despite differences in specific timelines and formats. Further dynamics will depend on whether the parties can translate declarative statements into working ceasefire formats, including energy and maritime ceasefires, which Zelensky named as a topic of negotiations with the American leader.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Zelensky: I Hope for the War to End by Winter with Trump's Help](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/zelenskiy-spodivayus-zavershennya-viyni-zimi-1790100184.html) - Основной источник: цитата Зеленского о завершении войны к зиме с помощью Трампа, трансляция встречи на полях 81-й сессии ГА ООН.
- [Meeting with Putin and Ending the Conflict by Winter. What Trump and Zelensky Discussed in New York](https://www.gazeta.ru/politics/2026/09/22/23589793.shtml) - Подтверждает контекст переговоров в Нью-Йорке и тему завершения конфликта до зимы; однако заголовок упоминает «встречу с Путиным», что не подтверждается основными материалами как личная встреча.
- [Zelensky Hopes to End the War by Winter](https://strana.news/news/512660-zelenskij-nadeetsja-na-okonchanie-vojny-v-ukraine-do-nachala-zimy.html) - Подтверждает заявление Зеленского о надежде на завершение войны до начала зимы.
- [Zelensky Began Negotiations with Trump — When the War Could End and What Awaits Russia](https://glavred.info/war/zelenskiy-nachal-peregovory-s-trampom-osnovnye-zayavleniya-prezidenta-10798595.html) - Подтверждает факт начала переговоров Зеленского и Трампа и тему сроков завершения войны.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What exactly did Zelensky say about the timeline for ending the war?
**A:** Zelensky stated: "I hope we will be able to end this war by winter, and Trump will help with that," tying the target deadline to the role of the American president.

### Q: What position did Trump express at the meeting and at the UN GA?
**A:** Trump stated that, in his assessment, both Ukraine and Russia want the war to end, and that the end of the war will come "faster than people imagine." Upon arriving at the UN GA, he conveyed a message to the head of the Kremlin: "Stop the war."

### Q: What ceasefire formats were discussed?
**A:** Earlier, Zelensky reported that at his meeting with Trump in New York he intended to discuss the possibility of introducing an energy and maritime ceasefire.

### Q: Are there any inconsistencies in the parties' statements?
**A:** Yes: the timelines are formulated differently ("by winter" for Zelensky and "faster than people imagine" for Trump), and the mention in one of the headlines of a "meeting with Putin" is not confirmed by the main materials as a personal meeting — it refers to Trump's public message.