Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed he plans to meet with former U.S. President Donald Trump next week, taking place on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. This announcement comes as Russia intensifies its military assaults across Ukraine.
According to President Zelenskyy, Russia launched one of its most significant aerial assaults overnight on Saturday, September 20, 2025. The attack involved 40 missiles and approximately 580 drones, resulting in at least three fatalities and dozens of injuries.
Zelenskyy indicated the agenda for his meeting with Trump would focus on crucial security guarantees for Ukraine and further sanctions against Russia.
Ukraine has consistently pressed for robust Western-backed security guarantees to deter future Russian aggression. In contrast, Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a stern warning, stating that any Western troops deployed to Ukraine would be deemed unacceptable and legitimate targets.
Efforts led by the U.S. to swiftly conclude the conflict have faltered. Russia has largely dismissed the possibility of a direct meeting between President Putin and President Zelenskyy, despite Kyiv’s assertion that such talks are the sole path to peace.
Speaking on Saturday, September 20, 2025, Zelenskyy conveyed that Ukraine anticipates sanctions against Russia if there is no meeting between the leaders or a failure to establish a ceasefire.
He further emphasized, ‘We are prepared for a meeting with Putin. I have publicly stated this, whether it be bilateral or trilateral talks. However, he is currently unwilling.’
Intense Fighting Continues
Detailing Russia’s recent aerial assaults, Zelenskyy reported on social media that a missile carrying cluster munitions directly hit an apartment building in the central city of Dnipro.
Images shared by the President showed burning vehicles and buildings, with rescuers actively working to extricate individuals from the debris.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, Sergiy Lysak, head of the regional military administration, confirmed that these strikes resulted in one death and 26 injuries, with one man in critical condition.
These recent strikes occurred shortly after three Russian fighter jets allegedly violated Estonian airspace, a NATO member. Moscow, however, denied this accusation.
This incident, following Poland’s complaint last week about approximately 20 Russian drones overflying its territory, has heightened fears in the West of new and dangerous provocations from Moscow.
President Zelenskyy reiterated his call for ‘joint solutions’ with ‘other countries’ to effectively counter and shoot down drones over Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Russia, which has been steadily gaining ground in Ukrainian territory for months, announced on Saturday, September 20, 2025, that its forces had captured the village of Berezove in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
In the northeastern Kharkiv region, Zelenskyy reported ‘intense actions’ continuing around Kupiansk, a critical rail hub that Ukraine recaptured during its 2022 offensive.
Concurrently, Russian officials claimed their forces successfully repelled ‘massive’ Ukrainian attacks in the Volgograd and Rostov regions, with one person reportedly injured in the adjacent Saratov region.
The governor of Russia’s Samara region stated that ‘fuel and energy facilities’ were targeted in attacks, though specific details regarding the damage were not provided.
The Russian Defence Ministry reported on Saturday, September 20, 2025, that its air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 149 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 27 over Saratov and 15 over the Samara region.
Three prior rounds of direct peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine held in Istanbul have so far only resulted in significant prisoner exchanges, failing to achieve broader peace agreements.
Russia continues to enforce stringent demands, notably insisting that Ukraine fully cede the eastern Donbas region, areas of which Kyiv still retains control.
Kyiv, conversely, has rejected any territorial concessions and advocates for the deployment of European peacekeeping troops in Ukraine, a proposition that Moscow finds unacceptable.