Zelensky accuses Trump of trying to push Ukraine into capitulation
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the recent decisions of Donald Trump's administration create pressure on Kyiv and may be aimed at forcing Ukraine to make concessions to Russia. At the same time, the Ukrainian leader proposed a new compromise to Washington regarding strikes on Russian oil infrastructure.
Zelensky shared this in an interview with Bloomberg, published on October 18.
According to the president, the actions of the American side recently give the impression that Ukraine is being pushed toward capitulation. He emphasized that he does not want to believe in the intention of American partners to end the war at the expense of Ukrainian interests.
Zelensky reported that he proposed to the US a halt to Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries in exchange for additional missiles for Patriot air defense systems.
However, according to him, Washington insists on stopping attacks on Russian fuel infrastructure without agreeing to the reciprocal conditions proposed by Kyiv.
As a separate issue, the president named delays in the supply of American interceptor missiles. Zelensky claims that some of the weapons purchased through the PURL program with partners' funds have still not received the necessary approval from the American side.
According to his data, Ukraine now receives approximately 12 Patriot interceptor missiles per month - about a quarter of the supply volumes under the previous US administration. Zelensky believes that the delays are political, not technical, in nature.
Another subject of dispute were restrictions on the operation of Starlink satellite communications and the Starshield military system. The Ukrainian president suggested that the decision to limit the speed of terminals was connected to the American authorities. At the same time, Trump and representatives of his administration deny White House involvement in these restrictions.
The escalation of relations between Kyiv and Washington occurred after Trump's agreement with Vladimir Putin on increasing the supply of Russian diesel fuel to the world market and easing some American sanctions against Russia.
As Axios reports, the Trump administration explains these decisions by the desire to lower fuel prices and maintain the possibility of peace negotiations with Moscow. At the same time, the easing of sanctions has caused criticism even among some Republicans in the US.
Despite the differences, diplomatic contacts between the countries continue. According to Axios information, on October 18 Zelensky had an approximately 40-minute conversation with representatives of Trump, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The parties discussed the crisis in relations and the possibility of a personal meeting in the coming days.
Zelensky also expressed hope that after the midterm elections to the US Congress, scheduled for November 3, relations with Washington may become less tense. In his opinion, the current pre-election struggle additionally exacerbates political contradictions.
Based on materials from: Bloomberg, Axios, The Guardian