Trump's attack on Zelensky

Donald Trump accused Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday, 18 October, of not wanting the war in Ukraine to end, writing in a Truth Social post that the Ukrainian president "probably never wanted" it to stop. Trump defended his decision to hold off on new sanctions against Russia, saying he wanted to keep Moscow at the negotiating table.

“My decision on Russia is very simple. I am in the process of negotiating peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine.”

Trump also criticised Zelensky for strikes on Russian refineries, arguing that they hurt global diesel markets, including in the United States, and that Russia was selling millions of barrels of diesel at low prices. He said Zelensky had been funded by Europe and by the previous Biden administration, and that he could have reached a better deal two years earlier.

Putin's proposed summit

The Wall Street Journal, citing a former Russian intelligence official, reported that Putin raised the idea of a summit with Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping during a phone call with Trump on 9 October. The same call produced an agreement on supplying Russian diesel to the American and international markets. The newspaper said such a meeting, held without Zelensky, would worry European leaders.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Wall Street Journal that talks about a possible meeting were under way, but that there was no clear picture of when it would happen or what its agenda would be. The Kremlin proposed holding the three-way meeting on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Shenzhen on 18 and 19 November. A senior American official said Trump had not accepted the proposal.

The White House declined to comment, and the Chinese embassy in Washington did not respond to a request from the newspaper. According to people familiar with Moscow-Beijing contacts, China indicated it would not oppose the idea if the American president agreed.

Zelensky accuses Washington of pressure

In an interview with Bloomberg published on Sunday, Zelensky accused the Trump administration of pressing Ukraine to accept a settlement on terms that would weaken its position and its defence. He cited delays in delivering Patriot interceptor missiles and restrictions on Starlink internet speeds, which he said is vital for Ukrainian troops.

“I believe that moves have been made to persuade Ukraine to capitulate.”

Zelensky proposed that Ukraine stop striking Russian refineries in exchange for more Patriot missiles, which he said would protect Ukrainian facilities. He pointed to the midterm elections in the United States on 3 November as a reason for dangerous days ahead.