Zelenskiy Says Trump Is Pressuring Ukraine to Surrender, Criticizes Delays in Patriot Missile Supplies
Summary
- He said the U.S. was taking steps that worked against Ukraine by limiting military aid and easing sanctions on Russia.
- He said U.S. deliveries of Patriot interceptors had fallen to 12 a month, about a quarter of the level under the Biden administration, and that only part of the shipments had been approved even though Ukraine had already paid for them.
- He said Ukraine had proposed halting attacks on Russian refineries in exchange for additional U.S. supplies of Patriot missiles, but Washington was only demanding that the attacks stop, leaving military aid and Russia policy as key variables in future negotiations.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is effectively pressuring Ukraine to surrender in an effort to end the war with Russia.
Bloomberg reported on October 18 that, in an interview in Kyiv, Zelenskiy criticized the U.S. for taking steps he said were detrimental to Ukraine, including limiting military aid and easing sanctions on Russia.
“I think measures have been taken to persuade Ukraine to surrender,” Zelenskiy said. “I’m not saying that is definitively the U.S. goal, but it appears they believe the war can be ended early at the cost of Ukraine’s sacrifice.”
He also alleged that the U.S. was intentionally throttling Starlink internet speeds, a key communications tool for Ukrainian forces, and delaying supplies of missiles for Patriot air-defense systems used to intercept Russian ballistic missiles. According to Zelenskiy, the U.S. is currently supplying Ukraine with 12 Patriot interceptors a month, about a quarter of the level under former President Joe Biden’s administration. Ukraine has already paid for the weapons, but the U.S. has approved only part of the shipments and is holding back the rest.
Zelenskiy also raised concerns about restrictions on Starlink service. He said Starlink connections in Ukraine are cut off when travel speeds exceed 161 kilometers per hour, while the same limit does not apply outside the country. He blamed the White House for the move, but did not disclose specific evidence.
Tensions between the two countries deepened after Trump agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin to expand diesel fuel supplies and exempt some sanctions on Russia. The U.S. has been urging Ukraine to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries, saying the strikes are contributing to higher diesel prices.
In response, Zelenskiy said he proposed that the U.S. provide additional Patriot interceptors in exchange for Ukraine halting attacks on Russian refining facilities. “We proposed that if we do not strike Russia’s diesel facilities, the U.S. would provide Patriot missiles to protect our facilities,” he said, adding that Washington has only demanded a halt to the attacks.
Ukraine has said it could stop attacking Russian refineries if Russia halts strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. But both sides have continued targeting energy facilities in recent days. In Ukraine, Russian attacks on substations left tens of thousands of households without power. In Russia, fires broke out at industrial sites including an oil terminal in St. Petersburg.
Trump has said the agreement on Russian diesel supplies and the sanctions waivers were intended to keep Putin engaged in peace talks. At the same time, he criticized Zelenskiy for not seeking to end the war, underscoring the gap between the two leaders.
Zelenskiy said he expects relations between Kyiv and Washington could improve after the U.S. midterm elections on Nov. 3. He said political tensions are intensifying during the campaign period, but the situation should calm once the vote is over.
Separately, Zelenskiy said he remains in contact with Jared Kushner and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and is discussing the possibility of holding additional peace talks as early as this week. Still, with Russian airstrikes continuing and shortages of air-defense weapons worsening damage to Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, U.S. military support and Washington’s Russia policy remain key variables in future negotiations.
