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U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he believes an agreement between Ukraine and Russia is close, speaking alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly's high-level week in New York.
"We have a very good relationship going, the two of us," Trump said of Zelenskyy. "The president and I are trying to figure out the solution, and I think it's going to happen. I really do."
Trump described the relationship between Washington and Ukraine as solid, extending that characterization to Europe more broadly. "The relationship is very strong, and with Europe it's very strong," he said, citing recent developments involving Greenland as "something very special," though he did not elaborate further.
When asked whether he still believed Ukraine could recover all of its territory, Trump declined to detail the terms under discussion. "I think they're going to make a deal, and I don't want to say what the deal is," he said, adding that the matter comes up frequently in his conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "We talk about it a lot, including with President Putin, and I think something's going to happen."
Trump also praised Ukraine's military and political leadership, saying its forces were "very good fighters" who "could be proud of themselves," and calling the country's leadership "very capable."
Trump singled out Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refining infrastructure as a factor putting pressure on Moscow. "The strikes inside Russia on the refining capacity and the diesel, it seems like that's been a serious hit on the Russians," he said. "It's also a serious hit on the price of diesel."
He said he believed both leaders were ready to bring the conflict to a close. "I think they both want to see the war end," Trump said. "To be honest with you, it's time. A lot of people being killed, and they don't want that."
Trump also addressed the possibility of producing Patriot missile systems in Ukraine, saying the subject is under active discussion. "We're talking about that. We'll be talking about that now," he said, describing Ukrainian manufacturing capabilities as "very capable production" and Ukrainian personnel as "amazingly capable people."
Patriot systems, made by U.S. defense contractor Raytheon, are long-range air defense platforms that Ukraine has used to intercept Russian missiles during the war.
For his part, Zelenskyy expressed hope that a resolution was within reach with U.S. backing. "We will end this war, and President Trump will help us to end this war," he said, adding that it was necessary "as quick as possible before winter."
The two leaders' meeting took place as world leaders gathered in New York for the UN General Assembly's annual high-level session.
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