Trump calls for a new Ukraine negotiator

Donald Trump said on Monday, 19 October, that it was time for someone else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine, and he described Volodymyr Zelensky as the main obstacle to ending the war. Speaking to reporters at the White House, he said the Ukrainian president was not helping much and that he did not believe Zelensky wanted the fighting to stop. He also rejected accusations that Washington had ordered limits on the Starlink network, which Ukraine relies on for its military operations, saying he did not know who was responsible and would like to find out. Trump added that he would join a three-way meeting with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping in China if both leaders wanted one. Such a meeting could coincide with the APEC summit in Shenzhen, scheduled for 18 and 19 November 2026, where Trump said he would discuss denuclearization.

Kyiv answers back

Ukrainian officials say staying silent has become riskier than speaking out, and their response to Washington has been sharper than in earlier rounds of tension. Before the latest exchange, Ukraine was already facing daily strikes on its energy infrastructure, depleted air defenses and a difficult winter. Kyiv then reported sudden restrictions on the Starshield satellite network, gaps in the sharing of US military intelligence and delays in the delivery of American interceptor missiles. American officials deny any disruption. On Monday, 19 October, Zelensky lobbied a bipartisan group of senators to press the administration to lift what he says are limits on intelligence sharing and weapons supplies. In an interview with ABC News, he framed the dispute in stark terms.

“People have to hear reality.”

Rubio pushes back

Rubio told reporters on Tuesday, 20 October, that the Pentagon had changed nothing on intelligence sharing with Ukraine, weapons sales or restrictions on the use of the Starshield system. He said the failure to warn Ukraine of some Russian ballistic missile attacks came from technical problems, not from a US order. Rubio acknowledged that Patriot interceptors already paid for by NATO countries could be delayed, because Washington needs enough of them to protect its own bases worldwide. He said the president was frustrated by insinuations that he was deliberately harming Ukraine.

“There hasn't been a deliberate political directive to harm Ukraine.”

Rubio and Zelensky spoke on a 45-minute call before a new round of peace talks with the envoy Steve Witkoff, though reports differ on whether the call took place on 19 or 20 October. Rubio described Trump as angry and frustrated about the lack of progress in peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Zelensky later wrote on X that he was grateful for Rubio's readiness to help.

Sanctions, diesel and Republican criticism

Trump announced a deal to buy Russian diesel, which has become more expensive for Americans largely because of his war with Iran, and he waived sanctions imposed on Russia under a law named after the late senator Lindsey Graham. That law was signed only weeks earlier and was intended to increase financial pressure on Russia, more than four years after its invasion of Ukraine. Negotiators reportedly agreed the outlines of a deal for much of Lukoil, a struggling Russian energy firm. Reports also say Washington and Moscow are discussing joint data centres powered by small nuclear reactors, along with a way to make payments despite sanctions. According to the United Nations, civilian casualties in Ukraine from Russian attacks rose 85% in September compared with a year earlier.

Several Republicans have pushed back. Don Bacon, an outgoing congressman from Nebraska, called Trump's actions absolutely disgraceful and accused him of cozying up to Putin.

“It really is disgraceful, and the Republicans that I associate with, there's a lot of us, can't stand it.”

Darline Graham, the sister of Lindsey Graham and now a senator from South Carolina, broke with the president over the decision. Bill Cassidy, the outgoing senator from Louisiana, wrote on X that Ronald Reagan and Lindsey Graham would be ashamed of it.

What comes next

Zelensky was due to meet Witkoff in Oslo on Tuesday, 20 October, and officials said Norway's prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, and Alexander Stubb would take part in the discussion. Axios reports that the next round of talks aims to reach a unified position with European allies on an updated peace proposal to put to Putin. The diesel announcement came while Trump's envoys were negotiating with Ukrainian officials in Miami. The APEC summit in Shenzhen is the next date on the calendar, and Trump has said he plans to be in China in November.