Zelenskyy Says US Siding With Putin Would Be a 'Historic Mistake' as Rift With Trump Grows
In short
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday that the U.S. formally siding with Russia would be a "historic mistake", while saying he still sees President Donald Trump as an ally. The comments followed Trump's waiver of new Russia sanctions on Friday and a diesel deal with Russia. Trump said on Monday it was time for "somebody else" to negotiate for Ukraine.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned in an interview with NBC News' "Meet the Press" on Sunday that the U.S. formally siding with Russia's Vladimir Putin would be a "historic mistake". "If the United States will officially take the side of Russia, of course if these two countries will be together, of course we will not prevail and we will not be able to stand," he said. He also said he still sees President Donald Trump as an ally. "We want to trust him," he said, adding that he hoped Trump would change his decisions. [ 1 , 5 , 8 ]
The comments followed a week of rising tensions that began, according to the Seattle Times, with Trump's Oct. 9 announcement of a deal to buy Russian diesel. Trump demanded that Ukraine halt attacks on Russian oil refineries, and Kyiv said it got nothing in return. On Friday Trump waived sweeping new sanctions that Congress had passed with bipartisan support, saying in an executive order that the move was in the national interests of the United States. Zelensky has called the diesel deal a "gift" to Putin. [ 1 , 5 , 8 ]
Zelenskyy also said U.S. intelligence sharing was briefly "blocked", leaving Ukraine blind to incoming ballistic missiles, and that limits have been placed on Starlink technology used to intercept jet-powered drones. He described a "planned operation" to cap the speed of the Starshield satellite internet service, which the Seattle Times said is provided under a Pentagon contract through SpaceX. CBS News reported that he said he received no warnings before Russia's overnight missile and drone strikes. [ 1 , 8 , 20 ]
Trump defended the sanctions waiver on Truth Social on Sunday, writing that he did not want to "drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table". Last week he told Newsmax that Zelensky was "not a good guy for us to deal with" and that he found him "more difficult to deal with than Putin". CNN reported that on Monday Trump accused Zelensky of not knowing what he was talking about and suggested it was "time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine". The Associated Press quoted Trump saying Russia has "been fine on Ukraine". [ 1 , 5 , 13 , 19 ]
The New York Times and other outlets reported Zelensky as saying that Trump is pushing Ukraine to surrender; he said he did not want to believe Washington wanted an end to the war at Ukraine's expense, "But that's how it looks". CNN reported that he said he spoke to envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Sunday and hoped to meet them "maybe in Norway in the coming days". It also reported that Kyiv launched one of its biggest drone attacks this year on Russia over the weekend, hitting a key oil terminal. [ 11 , 13 , 16 ]
The Associated Press wrote that the U.S.-Ukraine alliance is "careening toward a possible breaking point". It quoted John Herbst, a former ambassador to Ukraine, saying things "look blacker than they ever had" regarding the administration's policy, while also noting that Trump has shifted on Zelenskyy before. [ 19 , 22 ]
Why it matters
Outlets describe the U.S.-Ukraine relationship as at a new low, with the Associated Press writing that the alliance is "careening toward a possible breaking point". The dispute touches sanctions, intelligence sharing, satellite support for Ukrainian drones and the path to peace talks.
Key facts
- Zelenskyy told NBC News' "Meet the Press" that if the U.S. officially takes Russia's side, "we will not prevail" and "we will not be able to stand". [ 5 , 8 ]
- On Friday Trump waived new sanctions on Russia passed by Congress, saying in an executive order that the move "is in the national interests of the United States". [ 1 , 8 , 19 ]
- Trump announced on Oct. 9 a deal to buy Russian diesel and demanded that Ukraine halt attacks on Russian oil refineries. [ 8 ]
- Zelenskyy said U.S. intelligence sharing was briefly "blocked" and that limits have been placed on Starlink technology used against drones. [ 1 ]
- On Monday Trump said it was "time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine", according to CNN. [ 13 , 19 ]
- Zelensky said he spoke to U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Sunday and hoped to meet them "maybe in Norway in the coming days". [ 13 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Zelenskyy said in a "Meet the Press" interview that the U.S. siding with Putin would be a "historic mistake". [ 1 , 5 , 8 ]
- Trump waived the new sanctions on Russia on Friday. [ 1 , 8 , 19 ]
- The U.S. struck a deal on Russian diesel, which Zelensky criticised. [ 5 , 8 , 19 ]
- Trump said he finds Zelensky more difficult to deal with than Putin. [ 5 , 13 ]
- Trump said on Monday it was time for "somebody else" to negotiate for Ukraine. [ 13 , 19 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the restrictions on Starshield and the disruption in intelligence sharing were deliberate U.S. actions. Zelenskyy called the Starshield cap "a planned operation" and, per the Seattle Times, strongly suggested Washington orchestrated developments; no document gives a U.S. explanation.
- Whether Zelensky will meet Witkoff and Kushner in Norway. Zelensky said he hoped to meet them "maybe in Norway"; CNN said it had asked the White House for comment.
- Whether Trump will change course on Ukraine. Zelenskyy said he hopes Trump will change his decisions; former ambassador John Herbst said Trump "might start to lean back in the other direction".
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- NBC News publishes its report on Zelenskyy's "Meet the Press" interview (Oct. 18). [ 1 ]
- The Hill reports Zelensky's quotes on a "historic mistake" (Oct. 18). [ 5 ]
- The Seattle Times reports Zelenskyy's concerns about the U.S. siding with Russia (Oct. 18). [ 8 ]
- CNN reports that Trump on Monday said it was time for somebody else to negotiate for Ukraine (Oct. 19). [ 13 ]
- The Associated Press reports ties between the U.S. and Ukraine at a new low (Oct. 19). [ 19 ]