Ukraine War: Trump sees Zelensky as a obstacle to peace

Ukraine War: Trump Sees Zelenskyy as an Obstacle to Peace Published October 16, 2026 Last updated October 16, 2026 US President Donald Trump has accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of a lack of willingness to a peace agreement with Russia. In an interview with the ultra-conservative US news outlet Newsmax, Trump described the Ukrainian as a more difficult negotiating partner than Russia's President Vladimir Putin. "He doesn't want an agreement. He says he wants an agreement, but he doesn't want one. No, I am not a big fan of Zelenskyy," said Trump. A peace agreement is only possible in his view without the Ukrainian President. At the same time, Trump expressed confidence that the war could end soon. "I think both actually want an end. But I find it more difficult to negotiate with Zelenskyy than with Putin." Dispute over Attacks on Russian Oil Refineries Trump particularly sharply criticized the resumption of Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy facilities. These would drive world oil prices up. "I consider this a disgrace," said the US President. Ukraine had recently attacked a refinery of the Russian oil concern Rosneft southeast of Moscow, among other things. Attacks were also reported from the regions of Ryazan and Saratov. The background is a ceasefire for attacks on the energy infrastructure of both warring parties announced by Trump on Sunday. Ukraine subsequently suspended its attacks on Russian refineries temporarily. However, Russia continued its attacks on Ukrainian facilities, according to information from Kyiv. Zelenskyy therefore said in an interview with the British newspaper "Financial Times" that the agreement was now "nullified" for him. He was not informed in advance of Trump's ceasefire announcement. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described Zelenskyy's statements as a direct and gross affront to Trump. The Kremlin accused the government in Kyiv of acting against the US peace efforts. US-Russia Deal Belts Relations The dispute between Zelenskyy and Trump runs parallel to a further rapprochement between the US and Russia. Trump had announced that sanctions against Russian fuels would be temporarily relaxed. This would allow Russia to supply diesel to the US and the world market again. According to the US President, the leadership in Moscow wants to provide more than 300,000 tons in the short term. The Ukrainian President criticized that the US government was accommodating Russia economically instead of increasing pressure on the leadership in Moscow. "It is a shame that we are losing a strong partner," he said in an interview with the British presenter Piers Morgan. The relationship between the two presidents has been tense for a long time. Trump and Zelenskyy have also publicly clashed several times in recent years. Zelenskyy Complains About Restrictions on US Military Aid According to Zelenskyy, there is additional pressure on Ukraine through restrictions on American support. The Ukrainian President complained in an interview with the "Financial Times" about a "dangerous" lack of US intelligence information. According to this, US military representatives had informed their Ukrainian colleagues that they would no longer provide intelligence data if Ukraine continued its attacks on Russian refineries. At the same time, the satellite internet service Starlink, which is important for the Ukrainian armed forces, has been scaled back. According to the Ukrainian side, these restrictions have already led to the failure of drone operations. "That was not a technical problem, it was an intention," said Zelenskyy. Starlink belongs to the company SpaceX. Its head, multimillionaire Elon Musk, stated that Trump and the US military would decide on possible restrictions to the military satellite service Starshield. The commercial service Starlink, however, should be used for defense, not for military offensives. EU Stands Behind Ukraine While the Trump administration is increasing pressure on the government in Kyiv, Ukraine is receiving backing from Brussels. The situation in the Russian war is the topic of the EU summit this Friday, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be there as a guest. The EU's Foreign Affairs Officer, Kaja Kallas, defended the attacks on Russian oil refineries. "Most of the Russian war financing comes from oil revenues," Kallas said at the summit. Therefore, it is right to deprive Russia of this source of income. "We must put pressure on Russia to end the war - and not Ukraine so that it surrenders," she emphasized. Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz also called for additional financial support for Ukraine at the start of the summit. Among the discussions of the 27 EU heads of state and governments is a better protection of Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Zelenskyy Warns About Further Sanctions Easing After his talks with the 27 EU heads of state and governments, Zelenskyy warned in Brussels that further concessions to Moscow could follow regarding the diesel agreement. "We cannot accept these agreements," he said. After diesel, gas deals could also be allowed, and finally sanctions against the banking sector could be eased. Zelenskyy rejected Trump's criticism of the refinery attacks. He had offered Washington to stop the attacks if the US provided additional air defense missiles. Only then could Ukraine protect its energy facilities from Russian attacks. However, the missiles were not delivered. In response to Trump's statement that it would be easier to negotiate with Putin, Zelenskyy replied that in previous meetings with Trump, topics for talks and decisions were always found. However, he represents the interests of his attacked country. "We are attacked, we are occupied, our people are being killed," he said.