Zelenskyy at UNGA: Ukraine sees ‘no easy solutions’ in New York, quietly prepares for new phase of war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to seek additional support from allies this week when he addresses the UN and meets Donald Trump. Behind the scenes, Kyiv is quietly preparing for a new phase of the war in which it increasingly relies on itself.

Arrives in New York

Zelenskyy has arrived in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly and push for a US-led peace effort to end the war in Ukraine.

“We are doing everything to stop the war,” he wrote on X on Tuesday, noting that he has two dozen meetings scheduled. He is expected to meet US President Donald Trump and other world leaders on the sidelines of the UN assembly and deliver a speech on Wednesday.

He will also take part in the first global leaders’ summit of the Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children. Zelenskyy said the meeting highlights “the global nature of the changes brought about by this war, the war that Russia began in Crimea.”

Hopes for new sanctions fading

Kyiv’s hopes of securing tough new US sanctions on Russia are fading. A more pragmatic approach has made Zelenskyy’s visit less tense than earlier trips to the United States, following lessons from a February clash at the White House.

Frenetic European diplomacy and Ukraine’s expression of regret after that meeting helped restore crucial US intelligence sharing and weapons supplies authorised by Trump’s predecessor.

Yet lobbying has failed to persuade Trump to impose sanctions strong enough to hit Russia’s war economy or compel President Vladimir Putin to negotiate, leaving Ukrainians sceptical about a swift end to the conflict.

Uncertainty grips Ukraine

Only 18 per cent of Ukrainians believe hostilities can end this year, with widespread uncertainty about the future, said Anton Grushetskyi, head of the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.

Putin has achieved some diplomatic wins, including a red-carpet meeting with Trump in Alaska, while Ukraine is adjusting to a stage of the war with reduced foreign support. A Ukrainian think-tank that previously focused on Russia for sanctions now helps the military select targets for drone strikes, a senior staff member said. Kyiv also faces potential cuts in US and European assistance.

In a sign of self-reliance, Ukrainian long-range drones have struck ports and refineries, prompting Russian warnings of oil output reductions.

Zelenskyy to press for fresh sanctions

Zelenskyy is expected to request new US sanctions on Russia on Tuesday, a day before addressing the UN General Assembly. Kyiv is also promoting plans for a summit on Russian-occupied Crimea, aimed at blocking any peace deal that recognises the territory as Russian.

Putin claims over 700,000 Russian soldiers are deployed on the front line, and Russia controls roughly 20 per cent of Ukraine. Moscow demands all that territory and more before considering talks—a position rejected by most Ukrainians. Officials described their work ahead of Zelenskyy’s visit as pragmatic diplomacy rather than preparations for a make-or-break trip.