President Donald Trump said 25,000 people were killed in the Russia-Ukraine war last month and 32,000 the month before, while pressing Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy to reach an agreement before winter.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
President Donald Trump said Saturday that tens of thousands of people are continuing to die each month in the Russia-Ukraine war as he renewed his call for Moscow and Kyiv to reach a peace agreement before the onset of winter.
Speaking to reporters on the White House lawn, Trump said approximately 25,000 people died during the previous month and cited even higher losses earlier in the summer. His figures were presented as his assessment and are difficult to independently verify amid sharply differing battlefield casualty estimates from Russia, Ukraine and outside analysts. :chatgpt-content-reference{index=”0″}
“Last month, 25,000 people died in the Ukraine-Russia war, okay? 25,000,” Trump said.
“The month before that, 32,000 people died … mostly soldiers, 97% soldiers. But whether they’re soldiers or civilians, think of it: 32,000. Two months ago, 33,000 people; this month, 25,000 people died. What a shame,” he added. :chatgpt-content-reference{index=”1″}
Trump did not publicly explain the methodology behind those monthly estimates.
Independent research nevertheless indicates that military losses have remained high more than four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated in July that Russian forces had suffered approximately 1.4 million battlefield casualties — including killed, wounded and missing personnel — between February 2022 and June 2026. Of those, CSIS estimated between 400,000 and 450,000 Russian troops had been killed. The organization estimated Russia was sustaining 30,000 to 34,000 casualties per month during 2026, although casualties include wounded and missing personnel as well as deaths. :chatgpt-content-reference{index=”2″}
Trump said his priority is ending those losses and indicated that he recently discussed the issue extensively with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“I spoke to him a lot, and he’s going along and Putin’s going along. And someday, hopefully in the not too distant future, maybe before the heavy winter, they’ll make a deal,” Trump said. :chatgpt-content-reference{index=”3″}
The comments followed Trump and Zelenskyy’s meeting in New York during this week’s United Nations General Assembly.
Zelenskyy’s office said after the Sept. 22 meeting that both leaders wanted to see the war end before winter and had discussed possible de-escalation measures that could lead back toward diplomacy. :chatgpt-content-reference{index=”4″}
Trump said Saturday that he had urged both Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin to reach a settlement.
“I agreed with Zelenskyy that we talked about a lot of different subjects, and many of those subjects, very strong agreement. But you know what I want him to do? Make a deal. I want him to settle with Putin, and I want Putin to settle with him.”
The renewed push comes as Washington attempts to revive negotiations that have repeatedly stalled over territory, security guarantees and the terms of any ceasefire.
Ukraine has been preparing for another round of U.S.-backed talks involving Russia, while American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner recently traveled to Moscow and Kyiv as part of the diplomatic effort. Ukrainian officials have identified the status of Ukrainian-controlled portions of the Donbas as one of the central unresolved issues. :chatgpt-content-reference{index=”5″}
Winter has become an increasingly important factor in the negotiations because both Russia and Ukraine have targeted energy infrastructure during the war.
Zelenskyy said this week that Ukraine is prepared to consider measures aimed at reducing attacks on energy facilities and warned that Kyiv would retaliate if Russia continued striking Ukrainian infrastructure during the colder months. :chatgpt-content-reference{index=”6″}
Trump’s latest appeal for a settlement comes alongside a significant development in Ukraine’s air-defense relationship with the United States.
Zelenskyy said Friday that Trump had made a final decision allowing Ukraine to obtain licenses to manufacture U.S.-designed Patriot missile interceptors.
“There are concrete agreements regarding Patriot licenses. At our meeting, President Trump stressed that he had made his final decision: Ukraine will receive licenses to produce Patriot missiles,'” Zelenskyy said.
The licensing issue had been under discussion for months. Trump publicly announced at the NATO summit in July that the United States would permit Ukraine to manufacture Patriot air-defense systems, and Zelenskyy subsequently described the arrangement as a political-level agreement while the two governments worked through implementation. :chatgpt-content-reference{index=”7″}
Ukraine considers the Patriot system particularly important because it is among the few Western air-defense systems capable of intercepting the ballistic missiles Russia has repeatedly used against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure. :chatgpt-content-reference{index=”8″}
After meeting Trump in New York this week, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian and American teams were continuing work on establishing Patriot interceptor production inside Ukraine.
“This is what will help protect lives, should Russia spurn the negotiations and keep betting on ballistic missile terror against our people this winter and beyond,” Zelenskyy said. :chatgpt-content-reference{index=”9″}
Trump, meanwhile, continued to frame the mounting battlefield deaths as his primary reason for pressing both governments toward an agreement, saying he wants Zelenskyy to “make a deal” with Putin and Putin to do the same with Ukraine.
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