Donald Trump said on Tuesday, 22 September 2026, in his address to the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) that Washington is working “very closely” with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine and that a deal to end the war will come “more quickly than people understand”.

The Kyiv Post reported that he said he would use, if necessary, the tariff powers granted by the law he signed the previous week — a measure that allows tariffs of up to 100% on buyers of Russian energy. Asked by reporters before the speech what message he had for Vladimir Putin, Trump said: “Settle the war.” CNBC reported that Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday, 21 September, that “a large number” of Russian diesel refineries had been “blown up”, that Russia has “lost control” of its diesel oil industry because of the war, and that the conflict must end, with “25,000 people, mostly soldiers, killed each month”. The average US retail price of a gallon of diesel rose above US$6.50 for the first time, according to AAA figures cited by CNBC, as Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries and the war with Iran squeeze global supplies. At the bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the Assembly, Trump said the two were discussing “figuring out a solution” and that “they’re going to reach a deal”, without saying what it would be; The Jerusalem Post, citing Reuters, reported that he said Putin is willing to meet to end the war, and that the two leaders are expected to discuss the deployment of Patriot missiles in Ukraine.