Ukraine seeks support as Zelensky visits US to address UN, meet Trump
Kyiv push for sanctions and arms continues even as it braces for a leaner, more self-reliant phase of the war.
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky will travel to the United States this week to address the United Nations General Assembly and meet with former President Donald Trump, as Kyiv seeks renewed political momentum and concrete support for its war effort. The visit comes amid a shifting dynamic in which Kyiv pursues Western help while quietly preparing for a phase in which it will rely more on its own resilience and on targeted, pragmatic diplomacy.
Behind the scenes, Kyiv is quietly preparing for a new phase of the war that would rely more on Ukrainian resolve and on Western backing that is more calibrated than a year ago. Ukrainian officials acknowledge that hopes for sweeping new US sanctions on Russia are fading, and they point to February’s fraught White House meeting as a turning point that spurred a more cautious approach. In Kyiv’s view, the path forward will require a blend of deterrence, intelligence sharing, and precise military support rather than broad diplomatic guarantees. Zelensky’s trip, while still significant, is thus presented by officials as less fraught than some earlier visits, reflecting lessons learned and a readiness to work through hard questions amid a difficult balance of interests among allies.
Zelensky is likely to press for fresh sanctions on Russia during meetings in Washington, including with Trump, and to push for a fast track on military assistance as the UN General Assembly opens. Kyiv has also been promoting plans for a summit focused on Crimea, aiming to keep pressure on Russia’s occupation of the peninsula and push back against any peace talks that would recognise it as Russian territory. Ukrainian officials emphasise that the summit is part of a broader strategy to keep the international spotlight on Russia’s aggression and to deter a settlement that would reward Moscow’s gains.
A senior European diplomat said renewed intelligence sharing and a mechanism for Ukraine to purchase US-made weapons are essential for Kyiv’s forces to hold the line. The first weapons delivered under that mechanism included missiles for Patriot air defense systems and HIMARS rocket launchers, and Ukraine has said it now regards more than $2 billion in financing for US-produced arms as secured. The diplomat added that Kyiv’s sense of footing on weapons support has grown more evident in recent public statements and operational planning.
Putin has enjoyed a string of diplomatic wins, including a red-carpet welcome at a summit with Trump in Alaska, and Kyiv’s opponents have used those moments to argue that Western patience with Kyiv’s war aims could be waning. In Ukraine, the mood is cautious: a Kyiv think-tank that previously focused on studying Russia for sanctions now helps the military with drone-target analytics, illustrating a shift toward more pragmatic, battlefield-focused planning. A senior staffer noted that while sanctions and Western security guarantees are valuable, Kyiv is increasingly compelled to act with less reliance on external leverage and more emphasis on its own capabilities. The staffer warned that Europe could still back away from certain forms of support, underscoring the uncertainty that surrounds prolonged Western backing.
“New York is the platform every September. It’s a super important place to be,” said First Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya, who acknowledged the challenges of achieving breakthroughs but stressed that the diplomatic process would continue after the UN gathering. “I wish it were more expedient, but you will never have easy solutions to the conflicts of this magnitude. So I think that we will not come back from New York, all of us, with easy solutions. And we will continue to work hard after New York.”
BATTLEFIELD SETBACKS AND HEAVY LOSSES
Russian forces, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, have been grinding forward in the eastern part of the country for years but have not managed to seize Pokrovsk, a target they have pursued for months. While the assault has slowed, US support remains essential, and Kyiv’s allies worry about the depth of Kyiv’s reserves. A senior European diplomat said that renewed intelligence sharing and a robust mechanism for acquiring US weapons are critical to maintaining pressure on Russian forces. Zelensky has cited Patriot missiles and HIMARS as part of the first wave of weapons delivered under the new mechanism, and Ukraine has publicly claimed more than $2 billion in financing for US-produced arms.
In Kyiv, defence planners argue that Western deterrence has bought Ukraine time to reorganize and adapt. Andriy Zagorodnyuk, who led Ukraine’s defense ministry from 2019 to 2020, has argued that Europe’s traditional focus on deterrence does not persuade Moscow to halt its campaign. “The strategy is to neutralise Russia,” he said, explaining that Kyiv aims to stabilise the situation enough to begin a broader recovery even without Russia agreeing to a halt in fighting.
LIKE A RITUAL DANCE
Not all Ukrainian voices share the same optimism about sanctions or the speed with which Western support will translate into battlefield gains. A former senior official who spoke on condition of anonymity warned that Trump might hesitate to impose new sanctions and urged Kyiv to concentrate on strengthening its armed forces. He likened the security guarantees negotiations to a “ritual dance” that looks elegant but may yield little if the parties do not agree on concrete steps to end the fighting.
Public sentiment back home also colors Kyiv’s calculations. A Kyiv International Institute of Sociology survey shows only 18% of Ukrainians believe hostilities can end this year, underscoring a pervasive mood of uncertainty about the war’s trajectory. Officials say that while international diplomacy remains important, Kyiv’s longer-term plan is increasingly pragmatic: build up layered defense, sustain Western security support where possible, and pursue a strategic shift toward neutralising Russia’s military advantage through targeted strikes and economic pressure that undermine Moscow’s war economy.
The walk between diplomacy and battlefield realities continues as Zelensky prepares for a series of engagements in New York. Kyiv’s leadership has stressed that while Western support remains crucial, the country must be ready for a future in which its own capabilities and strategic calculations determine the pace of any potential end to the conflict. The urban landscape of the UNGA-focused week will test whether the alliance can translate rhetoric into new tools for Ukraine’s defence, or whether the war of attrition will push Kyiv toward an even more self-reliant posture.
As Zelensky’s trip unfolds, Kyiv’s leadership remains focused on stabilizing the frame of Western support and coupling it with a retooled security posture that could endure even as the global political climate shifts. The president’s public appearances in New York will be watched for signs of new sanctions or new security guarantees; private conversations will likely center on how far allies are willing to go to sustain arms supplies, intelligence sharing, and potentially longer-term commitments. The outcome remains uncertain, but Kyiv’s pragmatic shift—emphasizing resilience, targeted diplomacy, and steadfast defense—has become a defining feature of Ukraine’s war-weary but still determined stance on the world stage.