On September 21, the High-Level Week of the 81st United Nations General Assembly officially began in New York. The Russia-Ukraine conflict remains a key topic of discussion.
Previously, US President Trump repeatedly promised to end the Russo-Ukrainian conflict, but this time he does not seem to prioritize the Ukraine issue.
On September 22, Trump delivered a speech of nearly 40 minutes at the United Nations General Assembly. The Russian newspaper "Business Week" noted that there was only "a few words" about Ukraine in his speech. However, this information was not included in the summary of the speech published on the White House official website for that day.
U.S. Secretary of State Rubicoff met with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, and the meeting lasted for more than 50 minutes. However, there did not seem to be any substantial progress. Russian experts believe that this meeting is a "positive sign, but we cannot say that there was any breakthrough."
Meanwhile, European countries have been actively involved in the Ukraine issue. Many countries have jointly called for a unconditional ceasefire from Russia. France has proposed a "dual suspension" mechanism, and the EU has stated that it will provide substantial financial support to Ukraine.
However, the European and American plans ignore Russia’s core demands. Russia has clearly refused to suspend special military operations, leaving diplomacy in a deadlock.
According to the Business Journal, on September 22, Trump briefly replied when asked by reporters about 'the message he wanted to convey to Russian President Putin': 'End the war'.
Subsequently, Trump mentioned Ukraine in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly.
Trump said, "We are working in close cooperation with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, and we will achieve results."
He added that the resolution speed of the Russia-Ukraine conflict "will be faster than generally believed." However, he did not explain how to achieve this.
Moreover, he stated that after viewing the battle zone footage and calling it “shocking”.
The Kyiv Independent notes that regarding Washington's resolution aiming to bridge fundamental differences between Kyiv and Moscow, Trump provided no further details. "Trump believes Washington can help facilitate an end to the war, but he has not announced whether a ceasefire will occur between Kyiv and Moscow or any framework for negotiations."
Later that day, Trump met with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. He expressed his belief that a peace agreement would ultimately be reached between Russia and Ukraine, but he declined to disclose the details of the agreement. He also noted that both Russia and Ukraine “both hope to see the war end.”
September 22nd: Meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy – White House video screenshot
The online magazine “Responsible Statecraft” published by the American think tank “Quincy Institute for National Strategies” commented that Trump and Zelensky’s meeting was another futile attempt. Although both seemed “optimistic,” it is clear that Washington does not have enough time to resolve the conflict through diplomatic means, and the current conflicts in the Middle East do not help either.
"Businessman's Report" evaluates that Trump's statement included his long-standing claims regarding Ukraine which he has previously mentioned many times.
On the 23rd, United States Secretary of State Rubio met with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov.
The statement released on the official website of the U.S. State Department is quite brief, simply stating "Both parties discussed the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the bilateral relations between the United States and Russia."
On that day, Rubio told reporters that both Russia and Ukraine expressed interest in a limited ceasefire related to food and energy. “It’s not easy, but both sides show some interest in this.”
But he also admitted, “It cannot solve the problem of war, but I believe that it may alleviate some of the global pressures that arise from it in certain aspects.”
He emphasized, “War does not end on the battlefield. I believe that everyone understands that war will eventually end through negotiations and agreements.”
He also said that neither side discussed a meeting between Russian and American leaders, but noted that the United States has invited Putin to participate in the G20 summit in December this year.
Additionally, Rubio did not disclose any further details about the talks: “If I run to the media right after leaving the meeting to tell them what we discussed, then such meetings are unlikely to yield good results.”
Russian Political Analysis Center Director Pavel Danilin told the newspaper "Argumenty i Fakty" that this meeting is a positive sign, "but considering that Zelenskyy openly rudded Trump, any talk about potential breakthroughs is incorrect."
"Business People Report" notes that, before this meeting, the dialogue between the diplomatic departments of Russia and the United States has not been progressing smoothly.
