Trump praises Ukrainians as 'really good fighters' in Zelensky meeting

US President Donald Trump said he expects a deal to end the war Russia started against Ukraine, during a press conference at the start of his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on September 22 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Trump called Ukrainians "really good fighters" who "can be proud of themselves," also praising Ukraine's "very capable leadership." Zelensky thanked US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for their recent visit to Kyiv and expressed hope that Trump would help end the war as soon as possible, ideally before winter. The meeting followed reports that Trump was pressuring Zelensky to agree to an energy ceasefire, as Ukraine had intensified strikes on Russian oil refineries, including halting the Moscow refinery. Trump had previously asked Zelensky to stop such attacks, while Zelensky indicated Kyiv would halt strikes on Russian refineries if Russia stopped attacking Ukrainian critical infrastructure.