Zelenskyy is to meet Trump at the UN to push for an energy ceasefire with Russia as jet drones kill hundreds

From the Newshound archive · first published 22 September 2026.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to meet President Donald Trump at the United Nations in New York today to press for an energy truce with Russia, as Ukraine steps up its own deep strikes on Russian energy infrastructure. Emmanuel Macron confirmed he had already discussed energy ceasefire proposals with Trump ahead of the high-stakes encounter. The talks come amid a dramatic escalation in Russian drone attacks that is stretching Ukraine's air defences to breaking point.

In the first three weeks of September alone, Russia launched 2,100 jet-powered drones and 136 missiles, leaving 288 dead — among them four children.

The new jet-powered Shaheds fly at up to seven kilometres altitude — too high for Ukraine's shoulder-fired defences to reach, with only seconds to react.

Ukraine struck back with its largest-ever drone assault on Moscow on Sunday, hitting a key oil facility supplying over a third of the capital's fuel.