Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with top U.S. envoys on Sunday (October 18, 2026) to try to ease tensions, as Donald Trump accused his counterpart of not wanting to end the war with Russia.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Zelenskyy have clashed as the U.S. president blocked new sanctions on Russia and struck a diesel deal with Moscow, fuelling fears in Kyiv and Europe that the White House was steering towards Moscow. A Wall Street Journal report that Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a meeting on Ukraine with Mr. Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping — but not Mr. Zelenskyy — has set off more alarm bells. Trump’s business partner Witkoff and son-in-law Kushner, Mr. “We expect exactly this approach from all our partners — both from the Europeans and, of course, from the American side. Patriot air defence systems, as Kyiv struggles to counter Russian missiles.
“Zelenskyy is using Diesel Refineries in Russia as a target, knowing that these attacks are seriously hurting the world diesel markets, including those in the United States,” Mr. Trump said. Zelenskyy said “a lot depends” on the U.S. position in the war but that “it is clear that there are many things that matter to all of us and that this war must be brought to an end. Ukraine was ready to work “constructively” and “honestly”, he said. He said he discussed deliveries of U.S. But he also said he was “thankful” the United States resumed intelligence sharing after a pause that left his country vulnerable to Russian missile strikes.
Earlier, after speaking to Mr.
