Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has issued his sharpest warning yet to allies, insisting that the world cannot afford to keep wasting time as Russia’s invasion drags into another winter.
His comments come just days before a pivotal meeting with U.S. president Donald Trump in New York, where Ukraine hopes to secure stronger commitments on sanctions, weapons, and long-term guarantees of support.
Speaking before traveling to the United Nations summit, Zelenskyy made clear that the wasting time approach of his allies had emboldened Moscow. “If the war continues and there are no moves towards peace we expect sanctions,” he said.
“President Trump expects strong action from Europe. I think we are wasting a lot of time if sanctions are not imposed or some steps are not taken, that we very much expect from him [Trump].”
His words reflected deep frustration that months of promises have yet to translate into the decisive measures Kyiv believes are essential to stopping Russian advances.
The urgency comes after a weekend of devastating bombardments across Ukraine, with more than six hundred drones and missiles launched in a single day. Apartment blocks, power plants, and roads were torn apart, with several civilians killed, including three people in Dnipro when a missile carrying cluster munitions struck their building.
Zelenskyy described the strikes as part of a deliberate campaign to terrorise civilians and destroy infrastructure, warning that “a strong international response is needed.” For him, every delay and every half-measure from allies means Russia is handed extra leverage, making wasting time not just costly but deadly.
Trump has suggested he will only trigger sweeping sanctions if Europe takes the first step by halting Russian oil purchases, and has even signaled possible tariffs against China for continuing to buy Russian crude.
While Trump’s framing links Ukraine policy to global trade, Zelenskyy sees this as an unnecessary complication. He insists that waiting for Europe, especially countries like Hungary and Slovakia that remain tied to Russian energy, risks paralyzing the response. In his view, America has the capacity to lead without conditions, but wasting time on consensus only benefits the Kremlin.
The meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump, scheduled for Sunday in New York, comes at a crucial moment in transatlantic politics. Many European leaders are eager to see if Trump will clarify his intentions.
British prime minister Keir Starmer, who met Trump in Washington last month, has pressed for a long-term U.S. security guarantee for Ukraine, but the American president has so far remained deliberately vague.
The Finnish president, Alexander Stubb, who has been navigating these tensions, put it bluntly: “I think it’s the job of the president of Finland to get along with the president of the United States, whoever he is. Foreign policy is always based on three pillars. It’s values, interests and power. Small states only have values and interests … but we can have influence instead of power. Engagement is better than disengagement, come hell or high water.”
Stubb himself admitted he was “quite pessimistic” about persuading Putin to negotiate, adding that the Russian leader “has made probably the biggest strategic mistake in recent history, certainly since the end of the cold war.”
Zelenskyy, who met Stubb in Kyiv last week, returned from that encounter more confident about Ukraine’s staying power. He dismissed suggestions that his country was nearing exhaustion as “fake news.”
But even with determination high, his rhetoric underscored the danger of wasting time. He argued that Russia is counting on fatigue among Ukraine’s backers and is deliberately prolonging the war to test their patience. For Zelenskyy, every week that passes without concrete action makes Putin’s gamble more viable.
The Kremlin, for its part, has shown no sign of flexibility. Putin has declared he would only meet Zelenskyy under conditions Ukraine deems unacceptable, such as talks in Moscow or recognition of Russian territorial demands.
While Trump has pushed for face-to-face negotiations, Zelenskyy said he is willing to meet Putin “in any format,” even with Trump at the table, provided it does not involve capitulation.
Still, as he admitted, there is little chance of persuading Putin to compromise while Russian troops hold occupied ground. That makes the argument against wasting time even sharper: the longer the delay, the deeper Russia entrenches.
Inside Ukraine, the toll of the conflict is evident in destroyed cities, displaced families, and mounting economic strain. Yet Zelenskyy has highlighted one area of progress—Ukraine’s growing ability to strike inside Russia.
Recent drone attacks on refineries in Saratov and elsewhere have dented Moscow’s fuel supplies, leading to long lines at petrol stations. Zelenskyy believes these strikes show how targeted pressure can create systemic vulnerabilities, but he maintains they must be paired with external sanctions to fully cut off Russia’s war capacity.
Without U.S. leadership, he warned, efforts risk being piecemeal, and the collective West will again be accused of wasting time.
The personal element of the weekend’s diplomacy cannot be ignored. Olena Zelenska, Ukraine’s first lady, is scheduled to meet Melania Trump in New York to discuss the plight of children abducted by Russian forces.
Many Ukrainian officials see Melania as a potential ally who could temper her husband’s transactional instincts. She has in the past signaled skepticism of Putin and sympathy for Ukraine’s suffering.
If the family dynamic plays a role, it could subtly influence how seriously Trump approaches sanctions in the wake of his discussions with Zelenskyy.
For Trump, the calculations are both international and domestic. He has built his political brand around challenging alliances he views as lopsided and urging European states to shoulder more responsibility.
By insisting on European moves before unleashing American sanctions, he aligns the Ukraine issue with his broader narrative of fair burden-sharing. Yet such positioning risks feeding Zelenskyy’s complaint that allies are simply wasting time while civilians are under attack.
The symbolism of Sunday’s encounter is enormous. For Kyiv, it is a test of whether its appeals still resonate in Washington. For Moscow, it is an opportunity to measure Trump’s resolve.
For Europe, it is a moment of truth on whether the U.S. remains committed to leading. And for ordinary Ukrainians, it is another reminder that their lives depend on decisions made far beyond their borders. Zelenskyy’s repeated plea—that hesitation only strengthens the aggressor—will be the central theme of his message to Trump and other world leaders.
Whether Trump decides to move quickly on sanctions or continue to link them to European action remains to be seen. What is certain is that Zelenskyy has no patience left for delay. His closing warning before leaving Kyiv captured both his anger and his urgency: “We are wasting a lot of time if sanctions are not imposed or some steps are not taken.”
As the summit opens, the phrase “wasting time” hangs over the proceedings like a shadow. It is no longer just Zelenskyy’s accusation—it is the measure by which Ukraine and the world will judge the seriousness of American leadership in this moment of crisis.
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