The Situation Room - September 23th

Good morning everyone,

I’m Atlas, and welcome to The Situation Room! We cover the most high impact geopolitical developments every Wednesday!

Today’s topics:

• Zelenskyy Offers an Energy Truce — if Russia Stops First

• Xi Arrives for First U.S. State Visit in 11 Years

• Washington Withholds Sudanese Leader's UN Visa As Relations Hit A Low

Zelenskyy Offers an Energy Truce — if Russia Stops First

_{By: Atlas}

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is ready for a bilateral energy ceasefire with Russia if Moscow stops attacking Ukraine's energy, electricity, heating, and water systems, after a roughly 40-minute meeting Tuesday with President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The war, now in its fifth year, framed the talks. Zelenskyy pressed Trump to organize a trilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin "as quickly as possible" and asked him to engage Chinese President Xi Jinping, who arrives for summit talks Wednesday, saying Xi "has influence on Putin." Russian drones struck Kyiv on Wednesday morning as the diplomatic push continued.

The Trump Meeting

Zelenskyy described the session on X as "positive and productive," saying both sides want the war ended before winter and that they discussed "de-escalatory steps." "President Trump, our teams, and I spoke about how to end the war. This is the priority. We are ready. I'm not sure Russia is ready as of today, but anyhow, we spoke about an energy ceasefire," he said.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who also met Trump in New York, said he had lobbied the White House to press for a Ukraine–Russia energy truce and promised further financial support for Ukrainian infrastructure.

Asked whether he was prepared to meet Putin and Trump, Zelenskyy replied: "I'm ready. I said it, I'm ready anytime when all the sides will be ready. I think we all need to move as quickly as possible."

Reciprocity And Contested Asks

"We are ready for energy ceasefire," Zelenskyy told reporters at U.N. headquarters. "If they don't want us to attack their diesel and refineries, and etc, we are ready – if they will not attack our energy system, our electricity, heating system, water supplies." He said Ukraine is ready for "any kind of format of energy ceasefire," and that a deal should cover all energy infrastructure, including oil and diesel refineries, only if Russia commits to the same terms.

Zelenskyy said there had been "no requests whatsoever for Ukraine to stop its strikes unilaterally" on Tuesday. People familiar with recent contacts offer a different account: Trump has asked Zelenskyy directly to halt the refinery campaign, including in a Sunday phone call in which, one senior Ukrainian official said, the message centered on diesel prices. Kyiv has been reluctant to stand down because it treats damage to Russia's energy sector as its strongest leverage to force Moscow to negotiate.

U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who made their first trip to Ukraine earlier this month, would convey Kyiv's proposal to Moscow, Zelenskyy said. "This is our proposal. We are thankful to the American side. They will share it with the Russians. I don't know the Russian position," he added.

Diesel Politics And A Collapsed Truce

Trump's approval has slumped to a record low amid high fuel prices, roughly six weeks before the midterm elections—one reason he is pushing Ukraine to stop hitting Russian refineries. U.S. diesel recently traded near a record $6.23 a gallon. Before Tuesday's meeting he told reporters that Ukrainian hits on Russian refineries were a serious blow to Russia and also to diesel prices. On Monday he posted on Truth Social that Russia had "unfortunately lost control" of its diesel oil industry, saying a large number of diesel refineries had been blown up and were at least temporarily out of commission.

Last week Trump claimed Ukraine and Russia had agreed to stop attacking each other's energy targets. That arrangement evaporated within a day: Russia bombed petrol stations in Kyiv, and Ukraine hit Russian oil infrastructure. Neither capital confirmed a durable deal.

Separately, on September 15 Russia launched about 200 drones across Ukraine, Ukrainian officials said, hitting petrol stations in Kyiv and energy and port sites elsewhere—distinct from the one-day collapse of Trump's claimed pause. A September 20 Ukrainian strike forced the Moscow oil refinery, which processed about 230,000 barrels a day in 2024, to halt crude processing, industry sources said. Russia's Defense Ministry has said it is planning "massive strikes" on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram that intelligence indicated a "new massive attack," and that sanctions should not be eased while Ukrainians live under missile and drone threat.

Air Defense, Kyiv Hits, And Kremlin Pushback

Zelenskyy said he discussed a winter air-defense package with Trump, seeking additional Patriot interceptors and U.S. licensing for domestic production. He said Trump viewed licensing positively and that production in Ukraine could take about one to one-and-a-half years, but got no firm commitment on deliveries. "No one said 'no,' but I did not receive a particularly specific answer," he said. Ukraine has a German contract for 600 Patriot missiles for 2027–28.

On Wednesday morning, Russian drones struck Kyiv again, damaging petrol stations, warehouses, and transport infrastructure—hours after the New York meeting, and separate from the September 15 barrage and last week's post-truce petrol hits. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least two people were killed and more than twenty injured.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that high-level talks on Ukraine, including any Putin–Zelenskyy encounter, would be impractical without prior expert-level work and would be a waste of time. "Regarding Putin's meeting with Zelensky, our position is well known. Putin said that Zelensky, if he wishes, can come to Moscow," Peskov said, adding that Zelenskyy would be provided security guarantees.

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