Trump renews Russia-Ukraine peace efforts, urges Zelensky and Putin to ‘make a deal… settle’ | Today’s news
US President Donald Trump called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin to reach a settlement, citing what he described as a staggering month-long death toll in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Trump told Fox News on Saturday (September 26) after his recent meeting with Zelensky on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly that he wants the two leaders to end their fighting.
“I want him to get even with Putin, and I want Putin to get even with him,” Trump said, referring to Zelensky.
Trump said 25,000 people died in the war last month, after describing 32,000 dead the previous month and 33,000 two months ago. He said most of those killed were soldiers.
“25,000 people died last month. 32,000 people died the month before that, mostly soldiers… What a shame,” Trump said.
Trump said he wanted Zelenskyi and Putin to reach an agreement rather than continue fighting.
Trump said earlier after the meeting with Zelensky that Russia and Ukraine are moving towards a possible agreement. He also said he hoped the two sides could come to an agreement “before the hard winter.”
Trump campaigned in 2024 on a promise to quickly end the war, but the conflict continues despite repeated diplomatic efforts.
Russia and Ukraine continue their deadly attacks
Trump’s comments came as Russia and Ukraine continued to trade blows.
Russian strikes killed at least four people across Ukraine on Saturday, according to Ukrainian officials. Zelenskyy said Russia has stepped up attacks across the country, including attacks on residential areas.
“It is essential that our partners do not forget: Russia is escalating every day,” Zelensky wrote on Saturday.
“If the Russians decide to make their attacks even more brutal, the world must choose stronger responses to prevent the war from spreading further.”
Two women were killed after being trapped under the rubble of a house in Zaporozhye, according to the regional military administration. A separate Russian attack on Sumy also killed two people, local officials said.
Russian drones also hit parts of the Kyiv region and the capital, injuring several people and damaging residential and office buildings. According to Ukrainian officials, the drone attack caused a fire in a warehouse in the Boryspil district.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the attack on Kiev damaged a data center supporting Starlink mobile internet services and satellite communications.
Ukraine attacks Russian energy infrastructure
Meanwhile, Ukraine continued to attack Russian oil refineries and industrial facilities using long-range drones.
An attack by a Ukrainian drone in southern Russia’s Krasnodar region killed three people and wounded two, regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev said. Fires were reported in two industrial areas.
Zelensky later said that Ukraine had damaged the Ilsky oil refinery in the region.
Ukrainian strikes also reportedly killed three people in the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine’s Zaporozhye region, according to Moscow-appointed regional chief Yevgeny Balitsky and Russian state media.
The attacks come amid ongoing concerns about energy infrastructure and fuel supplies, with Trump previously pressing Kiev over strikes on Russian oil facilities.
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Zelenskyy calls on India and 46 other countries to act
The war also featured prominently in Zelenskyi’s speech to the 81st UN General Assembly earlier this week.
Zelenskyy called on India and 46 other countries to prevent their citizens from being drawn into Russia’s war effort. He claimed that Russia was using nationals from 47 countries on the battlefield and that some were brought to Russia through what he described as “fraud and trickery”.
“We know that Russia is using citizens of 47 countries in its war,” Zelenskyy said, naming India, Ghana, Nepal, Tajikistan, Yemen, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Cuba, Belarus, Sudan and South Africa, among others.
“We also see people dying on the battlefield who are not Russians – people from your countries, 47 countries, who ended up in Russia by tricks and tricks,” he said.
Zelensky calls for greater pressure on Moscow
During his speech at the UN, Zelensky also called on countries to limit Russian income and trade, arguing that Moscow’s access to money allows it to sustain the war.
He has separately called on countries including India to curb energy trade with Russia, arguing that revenue from oil exports helps fund Moscow’s military campaign.
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