Ukraine looks to US support for a pre-winter end to the war
At the UN General Assembly, Ukraine’s president said talks with the United States were productive and both sides want the conflict to end before winter, while a Russian drone and missile strike killed four people in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
At a United Nations General Assembly session in New York, Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump held a meeting that the Ukrainian president called productive, with both leaders expressing a desire to see the war concluded before winter arrives. Zelensky later posted on X that he discussed possible de-escalation measures with Trump, though he left open whether Ukraine would produce Patriot missiles. In parallel, Russian forces carried out a large-scale drone and missile barrage against the industrial cities of Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih and Pavlohrad in the Dnipropetrovsk region, killing four civilians and wounding six, while also striking a power facility in northern Ukraine that left more than 100,000 residents without electricity.
The European Union, following proposals from France and Luxembourg, removed oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from its sanctions list, a move condemned by Ukraine’s foreign minister as disgraceful. Additionally, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio accused Ukraine of targeting U.S.-linked vessels, a claim the State Department said requires further discussion.
How the sides frame it
MODERATE AGREEMENTBoth camps report the Zelensky-Trump meeting and the shared goal of ending the war before winter, but left-leaning coverage emphasizes diplomatic de-escalation steps, while right-leaning coverage highlights Trump’s optimistic prediction of a Russia-Ukraine deal.
LEFT
Frames the story as a diplomatic push for de-escalation, stressing a mutual goal to end the ‘absurd’ war before winter and cooperation on energy ceasefires and missile production.
RIGHT
Frames the story as Trump’s upbeat prediction that a Russia-Ukraine deal will be reached, underscoring his optimism and the good relationship with Zelensky.
The left emphasises
- end the "absurd" war before winter
- mutual moratorium on strikes against energy facilities
- gratitude for Patriot interceptor missile production on Ukrainian soil
The right emphasises
- Trump predicts a Russia-Ukraine deal will happen
- the presidents have a very good relationship
- optimistic outlook on ending the conflict
How this story developed
- Aug 14 Russia claims strikes on Ukrainian rail hub and vessels as drones hit Russian ports
- Sep 16 A new drone attack on a bus has increased the civilian death toll in the latest wave of strikes.
- Sep 17 A fourth Russian strike on the Zaporizhstal Iron and Steel Works wounded a worker.
- Sep 17 A Russian jet‑drone strike near the Polish‑Ukrainian border triggered air‑defence alerts and fighter scrambles.
- Sep 19 President Donald Trump signed a bill that gives the United States new authority to impose broad sanctions on Russia, targeting its energy sector and senior officials.
- Sep 19 Tusk invoked NATO’s Article 4 and announced a trip to Kyiv.
- Sep 19 President Trump signed the expanded sanctions law.
- Sep 20 Power supplies were cut for thousands of households in the Odessa region after the latest missile and drone barrage.
- Sep 21 Donald Trump asked Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, linking them to rising diesel prices worldwide.
- Sep 21 Russian drones struck Zaporizhzhia, injuring five and causing fires, while a woman was killed in the Kharkiv region and a mother with two children died in the Kyiv region.
- Sep 21 Trump’s appeal to cease refinery attacks was made ahead of his scheduled meeting with Zelensky at the UN General Assembly.
- Sep 21 Russian forces carried out multiple attacks on Ukraine's front-line regions on Monday, resulting in at least five deaths.
- Sep 22 Ukrainian forces reported an overnight drone raid on Russia’s Kuibyshev oil refinery.
- Sep 22 A strike on an energy facility in the Chernihiv region cut power for almost 100,000 consumers.
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