New Delhi, Sept. 23 -- the war should end before winter. What happened in the hours that followed illustrated precisely how far that wish remains from any agreement anyone can actually confirm.

Donald Trump and Zelenskyy met for roughly two hours on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, beginning with brief statements before the press and continuing behind closed doors. What emerged from that room was not a ceasefire. It was, at minimum, a claim by the American president that one had begun.

Standing before reporters after the session ended, Trump said Ukraine and Russia had agreed to halt strikes on each other's energy infrastructure. He described Zelenskyy's offer to stop Ukrainian drone attacks on R...