Volodymyr Zelensky says Putin's gains in Ukraine cost "248 people for every kilometer"

At the U.N. General Assembly in New York, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pressed for an end to Russia’s war while meeting with President Donald Trump. Zelenskyy proposed a pause in attacks on energy infrastructure ahead of winter, asked for U.S. Patriot air-defense missiles, and requested a three-way gathering with American and Russian officials. In his Wednesday speech to world leaders, he said Russia had suffered nearly 249,000 troops killed or seriously wounded this year and had captured only a bit more than 1,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian land from January through August. He cited that cost-to-gain ratio while questioning whether Russian President Vladimir Putin can be seen as restrained, as experts doubted a quick ceasefire because the sides’ territorial and security demands remain incompatible.