DOMINANT ANGLE
Bucharest notes a scheduling contradiction: Donald Trump praised the strikes that put Russian diesel refineries "out of service" on Monday, on the eve of discussions on an energy moratorium in New York, while Vladimir Putin is reserving his presence for Beijing rather than Washington.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Donald Trump wrote on Monday that "Russia has lost control of its diesel industry" and that its refineries are "at least temporarily, out of service", on the eve of his meeting with Zelensky at the UN
- 02
Volodimir Zelensky briefly met CIA Director John Ratcliffe during a refueling stop at Shannon Airport in Ireland, en route to New York
- 03
Vladimir Putin would attend the APEC in Shenzhen (November 18-19) in person, a first since 2017, while his presence at the G20 in Florida in December is deemed "very unlikely" by Bloomberg
ANALYSIS
Bucharest, September 22, 2026. On the eve of the opening of the UN General Assembly, the Romanian press first notes a message from Donald Trump published on Monday on social media: "Unfortunately, Russia has lost control of its diesel industry due to the war with Ukraine. A large number of their diesel refineries have been destroyed and are, at least temporarily, out of service." The American president adds that "this ridiculous and endless war with Ukraine must stop" - a statement published on the eve of his scheduled meeting with Volodimir Zelensky on the sidelines of the General Assembly.
Zelensky's journey to New York is also of interest to Digi24 and Mediafax: the Ukrainian president made a technical stop at Shannon Airport in Ireland for refueling, and briefly met with CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who was returning from a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi. A source described the exchange as "informal"; neither the content nor the exact duration were specified.
This meeting comes less than a month after Ratcliffe's unannounced trip to Moscow, where he met with high-ranking Russian intelligence officials. According to Reuters, the discussions partly concerned Ukraine; The New York Times reported that Ratcliffe urged Russian officials to reach an agreement before their position deteriorates further. Trump had downplayed this trip, calling it "rather routine".
In parallel, Vladimir Putin's diplomatic trajectory is of interest to Mediafax: the Kremlin leader would personally attend the APEC summit in Shenzhen, China, from November 18 to 19 - a first since 2017 - while his presence at the G20 organized by Washington in Florida in December is considered "very unlikely" by Bloomberg. Putin and Xi Jinping would have discussed the possibility of a three-way meeting with Trump on the sidelines of APEC.
For the Romanian press, this set of indicators - Russian refineries targeted, discreet intelligence shuttle, Putin's agenda turned towards Beijing rather than Washington - forms the backdrop against which the New York discussions are opening, without the European initiative for a moratorium on energy strikes finding, for the time being, a direct echo in Romanian headlines.
