The aftermath of a Russian missile strike at a Kyiv book market last month. (AP)
President Donald Trump on Tuesday reaffirmed his optimism that Russia and Ukraine can reach a deal to end their war, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he hopes the conflict can come to an end before winter.
Trump and Zelenskyy met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York as Washington again seeks to revive negotiations aimed at ending Russia’s full-scale invasion, which began in February 2022 and has now lasted about 4½ years.
“I hope we will end this war, and President Trump will help us end this war,” Zelenskyy said during the meeting, adding that he believed the process needed to move “as quick as possible — before winter.”
Trump indicated that he remains hopeful about a diplomatic breakthrough and said he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to meet with Zelenskyy.
“He’ll meet. He’s willing to meet. He wants to see the war end,” Trump said, according to reports from the meeting.
Trump also predicted that Russia and Ukraine ultimately will reach an agreement, according to Breitbart News.
The optimism comes despite a long series of diplomatic efforts that have failed to produce a lasting settlement.
Russia and Ukraine held direct negotiations in the opening weeks of the full-scale war in 2022, including meetings in Belarus and Istanbul, with negotiators exchanging multiple drafts through April of that year.
Those talks ultimately broke down without a peace agreement, with the two sides remaining sharply divided over issues including Ukraine’s military capabilities, security guarantees and territorial control.
Reuters reported that the negotiations were also overtaken by changes on the battlefield and the discovery of alleged Russian atrocities in areas from which Russian forces had withdrawn.
The latest U.S.-brokered effort also has encountered setbacks.
After a months-long pause in diplomatic activity earlier this year, Trump’s special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner traveled to Moscow and Kyiv in September in an effort to restart negotiations.
Witkoff and Kushner met with Putin in Moscow for more than three hours on Sept. 5, but the meeting ended without a publicly announced breakthrough.
The Associated Press reported that the peace process had been at a standstill and that Russia had intensified attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities.
A separate British parliamentary research briefing published this month said U.S.-led peace talks had faltered after a six-month hiatus, while planned trilateral discussions between the United States, Ukraine and Russia remained possible but had not produced a final breakthrough.
The diplomatic setbacks have unfolded alongside continued military escalation.
Russia and Ukraine have intensified missile and drone attacks in recent weeks, with Russian strikes hitting Ukrainian cities and infrastructure while Ukrainian forces have conducted increasingly deep strikes against Russian military and energy targets.
Reuters reported Tuesday that Russia had not signaled a willingness to pause its air campaign, while both countries continued exchanging attacks.
The latest push is focused in part on an energy ceasefire ahead of winter.
Zelenskyy has said Ukraine is prepared to halt attacks on Russian energy facilities if Moscow agrees to reciprocal restrictions, an arrangement he discussed with Trump on Tuesday.
The proposal follows an earlier attempt at an energy truce that quickly collapsed after both sides resumed attacks, according to the Associated Press and Reuters.
The Kremlin, meanwhile, has continued to say Russia intends to pursue its military objectives, while Putin has accused Ukraine of undermining negotiations, a claim Kyiv rejects.
For Zelenskyy, the approaching winter has added urgency to the diplomatic effort, with Ukraine preparing for the possibility of renewed Russian attacks on its power and heating infrastructure.
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