Trump claims Zelenskyy doesn't want to end war
Photo: US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump has postponed sanctions against Russia to avoid derailing peace talks. He blames Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for prolonging the war in a Truth Social post.
Why Trump postponed sanctions
"My decision on Russia is a very simple one. I am in the process of negotiating Peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and don’t want to do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table," Trump wrote.
According to him, the sides have made "great progress," particularly in talks on hostages. Trump did not specify who he was referring to. Signing the sanctions now, in his view, would derail negotiations, and he retains the option to sign them later.
Trump also cited Iran as another reason. In his view, Russia is providing Iran with far less assistance than it could, and he wants things to stay that way.
Accusations against Zelenskyy
Trump claimed that Zelenskyy deliberately targets Russian oil refineries, knowing that this affects the global diesel market, including in the US. According to him, farmers and businesses are suffering as a result, while Russia supplies millions of barrels of cheap diesel to the world.
"Zelenskyy doesn’t care, and frankly, with all of the money that Europe is famously giving him, and that Crooked Joe Biden gave him in the past, he doesn’t want to end this war, and probably never did," the US president wrote.
Trump believes Ukraine could have secured a better deal two years ago than it can get now.
"His country is in shambles, a large portion of his land is lost, his oceans and seas are gone, and his male population is low, wounded, and/or dead. I WANT THIS WAR END!" he stressed.
On Friday, Trump signed an order suspending the law that imposed sanctions on Russia just days before it was set to take effect. The legislation provided for steep tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil. The decision outraged both Democratic and Republican lawmakers, but Congress is currently on recess until the November 3 elections. Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained that the administration wants 60 days to assess the economic consequences of the sanctions.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Zelenskyy said the US moves looked like an attempt to pressure Ukraine into capitulation. He offered to stop targeting Russian refineries in exchange for Patriot missiles, but, according to him, Washington is simply demanding that Ukraine halt its strikes.
Meanwhile, Russia continues to attack Ukraine's energy infrastructure. During the week of the "energy ceasefire," Russian forces attacked Ukrainian energy facilities 76 times.
