Ukraine does not expect miracles amid Zelenskyy's visit to the US to address the UN and meet with Trump - Reuters
- Open Media Ukraine
- Sep 23
- 3 min read
Ukraine does not expect a miracle amid President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to the United States to address the UN General Assembly and a planned meeting with US President Donald Trump. This was reported by Reuters, writes UNN.
Details
"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will seek greater allied support when he addresses the UN and meets Donald Trump this week, but behind the scenes Kyiv is quietly preparing for a new phase of the war in which it relies more on itself. Kyiv's hopes for tough new US sanctions against Russia are fading, and a new pragmatism in Ukraine makes Zelenskyy's visit less fraught than some previous US visits, given lessons learned from a White House spat in February," Reuters writes.
"Extremely important place"
Reuters reports that Zelenskyy is likely to ask Trump for new US sanctions against Russia on Tuesday, the day before addressing the UN General Assembly.
Kyiv is also pushing plans for a summit dedicated to Ukraine's Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula, an event that appears aimed at pre-empting discussion of any peace deal that involves recognizing Crimea as Russian territory, the publication writes.
Ukrainian officials presented their work before Zelenskyy's arrival on Monday as pragmatic diplomacy, rather than preparation for a decisive journey.
New York becomes a platform every September. It's an incredibly important place. I wish it were more expedient, but conflicts of this magnitude never have simple solutions. So I don't think we'll return from New York with easy solutions. And we'll continue to work diligently after New York.
- Serhiy Kyslytsia, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, told Reuters.
As Reuters writes, although US support has diminished, it remains important for Ukraine, and Kyiv's allies have concerns about the depth of military personnel reserves.
A senior European diplomat said that US intelligence sharing and a new mechanism for Ukraine to purchase US weapons are crucial for its forces to hold out.
Zelenskyy stated that the first weapons supplied under this mechanism include missiles for Patriot air defense systems and HIMARS rocket launchers, and that Ukraine has currently secured over $2 billion in funding for US-made weapons.
According to a senior diplomat, Ukraine's more confident stance on weapons has become evident from the less insistent tone of Zelenskyy's recent public statements.
Andriy Zahorodniuk, Ukraine's Minister of Defense in 2019-2020, stated that European strategy often focused on the idea of providing deterrence to prevent future conflicts, but Putin is not interested in stopping Russia's war in Ukraine, and therefore Kyiv's strategy is to hinder the success of Russian forces.
"The strategy is to neutralize Russia. This would stabilize the situation and, hopefully, begin recovery, at least (to some extent), without Russia's consent to stop the war," Zahorodniuk said.
A former senior Ukrainian official, who wished to remain anonymous, doubted that Trump would impose sanctions against Russia at all, and said that Ukraine would be better off focusing on strengthening its armed forces.
He dismissed the weeks of talks between Europe, the US, and Ukraine on security guarantees to protect Ukraine for a post-war settlement.
Comparing the process to a ritual dance, he said: "It would be very nice if people weren't being killed."
Ukrainians are uncertain about the future
Only 18% of Ukrainians believe that military actions can end this year, and a sense of uncertainty about the future has become widespread in Ukraine, said Anton Hrushetskyi, head of the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.
The publication writes that Putin recently achieved several diplomatic victories, including receiving a solemn meeting at a summit with Trump in Alaska, and there are signs that Ukraine is shifting direction for a new phase of the war in which foreign support is diminishing.
Reuters notes that a source said that Ukraine has not only faced setbacks due to sanctions and reduced US aid, but also "may lose the support of some other allies in Europe."
"Evidence of Kyiv's efforts to pressure Russia has been long-range Ukrainian drone strikes on ports and oil refineries, prompting Russia to warn of an impending production cut for its oil companies," Reuters writes.
Additions
On Monday, September 22, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in New York with the First Lady and his team. He will participate in the UN General Assembly, the Coalition for the Return of Children summit, and the Crimean Platform, and will hold almost two dozen meetings.
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