Trump Pressures Zelenskyy for Energy Truce With Russia in UN Sidelines Meeting, Warns Moscow Has Lost Control of Diesel Industry as Ukraine Strikes Another Refinery

September 22, 2026

Sources: CNBC, KSAT, Al Jazeera, Ukrainian Emergency Service. Trump remarks on Russia losing control of diesel industry and meeting agenda confirmed by CNBC reporting September 22. Ukrainian and Russian strike details verified through Ukrainian Emergency Service reports and multiple international outlets covering September 20-22 attacks. Russia State Duma election dates (September 18-20, 2026) confirmed by Meduza, Wikipedia, European Platform for Democratic Elections, and GlobalSecurity.org. Andy Burnham confirmed as UK Prime Minister since July 20, 2026 (ABC News, Wikipedia); Sanae Takaichi confirmed as Japan Prime Minister since October 21, 2025 (Prime Minister's Office of Japan, Britannica).

President Donald Trump met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 22, 2026, with Trump expected to pressure Kyiv to agree to an energy truce with Russia and halt drone strikes on Russian oil refineries. Trump stated ahead of the meeting that Russia has unfortunately lost control of its diesel oil industry due to the war, and the pair discussed further air defense support for Ukraine ahead of winter, Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, and pathways to end the more than four-and-a-half-year conflict. The meeting came as Russia and Ukraine traded deadly strikes overnight, with Russia bombarding at least four Ukrainian regions with missiles and drones that killed four people, while Ukrainian forces damaged another Russian oil refinery in their latest long-range strike on September 22. Ukraine launched what is thought to have been the largest drone attack on the Moscow region to date on September 20, the final day of Russia's three-day State Duma election that ran September 18-20, 2026, damaging a facility at an oil refinery on the city's outskirts and killing three people. The ongoing exchange of daily aerial attacks continues as positions on the battlefield's front line barely change, providing a backdrop to Zelenskyy's U.S. visit where he hopes to recruit support from world leaders to end Russia's full-scale invasion. Russian President Vladimir Putin is not attending the annual UN event. Trump's push for an energy truce reflects U.S. concern that Ukrainian strikes on Russian refining capacity are contributing to global diesel shortages and price spikes, with U.S. diesel reaching record highs above six dollars per gallon in recent weeks. The meeting is part of Trump's broader UN agenda that includes his own General Assembly address defending the U.S. war with Iran and separate talks with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.