Zelenskyy Goes All Out to Pressure Russia at UN General Assembly... Will 'Energy Truce' Be Reached?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to attend the United Nations General Assembly to reaffirm solidarity with allies and appeal for support to end the war.

President Zelenskyy stated on social media on the 22nd, local time, that he arrived in New York, the United States, to attend the UN General Assembly, emphasizing that his top priority is to accelerate peace and protect the lives of the Ukrainian people.

This is interpreted as an effort to make headway on a peace plan currently being discussed with the United States and to secure air defense support from allies ahead of the winter season.

During the meeting period, President Zelenskyy plans to hold about 20 meetings with allied leaders, key U.S. corporate figures, and think tank officials.

He also announced that a new drone agreement based on Ukraine's advanced technology is in preparation.

President Zelenskyy is scheduled to hold talks with U.S. President Donald Trump later in the day.

With President Trump recently expressing concern over rising diesel prices and strongly urging an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, attention is focused on whether this meeting will yield progress on a peace plan.

There is also a possibility that the energy truce plan previously advocated by President Trump could take concrete shape.

Reports indicate that President Zelenskyy has not yet accepted President Trump's demand to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries.

Instead, Ukraine is demanding that Russia halt attacks, particularly on grain export routes.

European allies are also throwing their weight behind Ukraine, urging the United States to support air defense systems.

According to Reuters and Bloomberg News, French President Emmanuel Macron stated the previous day in New York that he had a "very long and constructive" conversation with President Trump regarding Ukraine, and that they shared views on the need to help strengthen Ukraine's air defense, including the provision of interceptor missiles.

While Macron did not mention specific details, he said they intensively discussed measures to halt strikes on the energy sector and that he would also discuss this issue with President Zelenskyy.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham is meeting President Trump for the first time on this day.

Prime Minister Burnham also stated that he plans to request President Trump to support interceptor missiles for Ukraine.

During his visit, President Zelenskyy also plans to attend the Crimea Platform summit to pressure Russia together with allies.

The Crimea Platform summit is an international diplomatic and security conference led by Ukraine, serving as an international cooperation framework to counter Russia's illegal occupation of the Crimean Peninsula.

Experts analyze that while Ukraine is pressuring Russia by launching intensive long-range drone attacks on Russian rear oil facilities, it is not yet enough to turn the tide of the war.

Russia is escalating its offensive by deploying jet-propelled Shahed drones, which are difficult to intercept, alongside ballistic missile attacks targeting Ukraine's vulnerable air defense system.

In particular, following the ruling party's landslide victory in Russia's general election held over the weekend—the first since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine—projections suggest that Russia's offensive will grow even stronger.

The previous day, Russia launched large-scale airstrikes targeting goals in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, as well as the Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, and Odesa regions.

In the Chernihiv region of northern Ukraine, a nearby energy facility was damaged, causing a blackout.

Cargo ships at the Odesa port on the Black Sea and the Kremenchuk oil refinery were also targeted.

Ukraine continued its attacks on energy facilities, striking Russia's Samara Oblast, which is densely packed with large refineries.

(Photo: Getty Images)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.