Trump Slams 'Ridiculous and Never-Ending' Russia-Ukraine War Ahead of Key Zelenskyy Meeting

US President Donald Trump has called for an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, saying Russia has 'lost control' of its diesel oil industry amid Ukrainian strikes on its refineries. 'A large number of their diesel refineries have been blown up and are, at least temporarily, out of commission,' he said on Truth Social.

'This ridiculous and never-ending war with Ukraine must be ended. The whole World suffers as 25,000 people, mostly soldiers, are being killed each month,' he also said, although he didn't say where he got the figure.

Trump-Zelenskyy Meeting in New York

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed, saying on X: 'Indeed, this Russian war against Ukraine and against common sense must be ended. From the first year of the full-scale invasion, its consequences have been far-reaching: the loss of many lives, the destruction of cities and villages, food security, energy challenges, the extraordinary pace of technological development, including autonomous drones, and the rapid advancement of strike capabilities never seen before.'

Trump and Zelenskyy are scheduled to meet in New York on Tuesday, 22 September 2026. Both officials are in New York for the high-level week of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, with the General Debate running from 22 to 28 September.

The bilateral meeting will be among the few sideline dialogues both parties have respectively scheduled, as the UN expects 71 heads of state, 45 heads of government, 11 vice-presidents, one crown prince and 50 ministers.

On Zelenskyy's part, he has around 20 meetings on the sidelines of the assembly. Ukraine's priority is to bring the war to an end. 'Of course, Ukraine's number one priority is bringing peace closer and protecting the lives of our people. There are concrete security proposals and de-escalation measures that could bring the end of the war closer,' said Zelenskyy.

Zaporizhzhia and Moscow Attacks

Zelenskyy also reported that Russia attacked Zaporizhzhia, causing damage to multi-storey residential buildings, a university facility, a shopping mall and a boiler house. Five people, so far, have been reported injured, while some residents were evacuated.

A woman was also killed in a drone strike in Lozova, while three people were initially reported injured. Meanwhile, Russia also had three casualties from a mass Ukrainian drone attack in Moscow on the last day of the nation's parliamentary elections—Vladimir Putin's United Russia party secured just under 58% of the party-list vote and was projected to win 355 of the State Duma's 450 seats.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Russian air defences had intercepted more than 1,600 drones, including 450 heading towards the capital.

Crimea Platform Summit Planned

The Ukrainian leader also announced that he will be holding another International Crimea Platform Summit in New York. 'There will be broad high-level representation from various countries, and we appreciate the involvement of all our partners and their support for our territorial integrity and sovereignty,' said Zelenskyy.

The Crimea Platform aims to coordinate international efforts towards ending Russia's occupation of Crimea and maintaining international support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty. The summit comes as Kyiv continues to seek stronger international backing against Russia and support for its territorial integrity.