Trump at UNGA says Russia-Ukraine war will end 'sooner than people realize,' cites signed sanctions law
Speaking at the UN General Assembly on September 22, US President Donald Trump said the Russia-Ukraine war will end "sooner than people realize," that the US is working "very closely" with both countries' leaders, and that he has signed the so-called "Lindsey Graham law" sanctions bill and is ready to use it if necessary to "stop the killing." Trump also urged Russian leader Vladimir Putin to "end the war" in brief comments to journalists before the speech. The remarks come ahead of a scheduled same-day meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in New York.
Key points
- Trump said at the UNGA on September 22 that the Russia-Ukraine war will end "sooner than people realize" and that the US is working "very closely" with leaders of both countries.
- He told journalists upon arriving at the UN that his message to Putin was "End the war!" / "Stop the war!".
- Trump referenced signing the "Lindsey Graham law" (HR 5334) and said he would use its powers if necessary to "stop the killing."
- He claimed roughly 25,000 people, mostly military, die on the battlefield each month on both sides combined.
- The bill authorizes tariffs of up to 100% on countries buying Russian energy and broad sanctions on Russian officials, banks, energy projects and shadow-fleet vessels; it was passed by the Senate on August 7, by the House on September 16, and signed in mid-September.
- Trump and Zelensky were scheduled to meet in New York on the evening of September 22 at 20:15 Kyiv time, with the Ukrainian delegation planning about 20 meetings, the "Drone Deal" signing and a Crimea Platform summit.
- On September 14 Trump claimed Ukraine and Russia agreed not to strike each other's energy infrastructure; Zelensky conditioned Ukrainian compliance on partner guarantees that Russia would honor the deal.
Why it matters
Trump's UNGA remarks are his most prominent public framing of the war's trajectory since returning to office and set the tone for his scheduled same-day meeting with Zelensky. By publicly citing the signed "Lindsey Graham law" as leverage he is ready to deploy, he signaled a potential escalation of US economic pressure on Russia. His claim of roughly 25,000 battlefield deaths per month frames his call to "stop the killing" as urgent, and the statements land amid an unresolved dispute over energy-infrastructure strikes, with Trump reportedly urging Ukraine not to hit Russian oil refineries. The Zelensky meeting in New York the same evening could determine short-term diplomatic momentum, air defense and Ukraine funding priorities.
What happened
On September 22 in New York, US President Donald Trump used his speech at the UN General Assembly to frame the Russia-Ukraine war as nearing an end. He said it would end "sooner than people realize" and that the US is working "very closely" with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine. He claimed about 25,000 people, mostly military, die on the battlefield each month on both sides combined and called it time to "stop the killing."
Before the speech, answering a journalist's question about his message to Putin as he entered the UN building, Trump briefly said "End the war!" / "Stop the war!". He then proceeded to the General Assembly hall with First Lady Melania Trump.
In the speech itself Trump said he had signed the previous week a "new powerful law passed by Congress" — the so-called "Lindsey Graham law" — that gives him significant new powers to impose tariffs, and added: "If it is necessary, I will be forced to use them. It is time to put an end to the killings." He also thanked the First Lady for work on returning displaced Ukrainian and Russian children to their families, and said he intends to "continue to strive to end the catastrophic war between Russia and Ukraine."
The same evening, Trump was scheduled to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in New York at 20:15 Kyiv time. Zelensky said he planned to discuss proposals for de-escalation; the Ukrainian delegation expected about 20 meetings during the visit, a planned "Drone Deal" signing with the US and a Crimea Platform summit.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian-language coverage centers Zelensky's parallel diplomatic track in New York: the planned Trump meeting, around 20 delegation meetings, the "Drone Deal" signing, the Crimea Platform summit, and stated goals of bringing peace closer, strengthening air defense and securing funding. Articles foreground Ukraine's conditional position on energy de-escalation — Zelensky's September 14 clarification that Ukraine is ready to mutually cease energy strikes only if partners provide guarantees Russia will honor the deal — and note the Ukrainian side present at Trump's UNGA speech, including Zelensky, Kyrylo Budanov (Head of the Presidential Office), Rustem Umerov (Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service), Andriy Sybiha (Foreign Minister), Denys Shmyhal (Energy Minister) and Andriy Melnyk (Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the UN). Coverage repeatedly pairs Trump's optimistic "sooner than people realize" line with reporting that Russia has publicly not agreed to end hostilities, casting Trump's framing against an unresolved Russian position.
Where reporting differs
Sources differ on the exact moment Trump signed HR 5334, the "Lindsey Graham law": one source places the signing on September 19, another in the night of September 18–19, and a third says only that Trump signed it "last week" during a tribute to Senator Lindsey Graham.
Background
The "Lindsey Graham law" sanctions bill (HR 5334) was introduced in the US Senate in April 2025 by Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal, approved by the Senate on August 7 and passed by the House of Representatives on September 16. It authorizes tariffs of up to 100% on countries buying Russian energy and broad sanctions on Russian officials, banks, energy projects and shadow-fleet vessels. Senator Lindsey Graham died on July 11, 2026; on July 10, 2026, during a visit to Kyiv, he had announced an agreement with the White House on a new version of the bill.
On September 14 Trump claimed Ukraine and Russia had agreed not to strike each other's energy infrastructure; Zelensky conditioned Ukrainian compliance on partner guarantees that Russia would honor the deal. On September 20 Trump spoke by phone with Zelensky shortly after a large-scale Ukrainian strike on a Moscow oil refinery and, according to Axios, urged Ukraine to stop such strikes. French President Emmanuel Macron said he discussed an energy ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow with Trump on the UNGA sidelines. A US–Ukraine "Drone Deal" and a Crimea Platform summit were also scheduled to take place in New York during the visit.