Zelenskyy: US seems to be pushing Ukraine to surrender to Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (photo: Getty Images)
Washington's latest decisions on Ukraine appear to be an attempt to pressure the country into capitulating to Russia. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with Bloomberg that Kyiv hopes relations will ease after the US elections.
"I believe steps have been taken to convince Ukraine to capitulate," Zelenskyy said.
The president clarified that he was not claiming Ukraine's partners had this goal. "I don't want to think that our American partners believe the war could be ended sooner at Ukraine's expense. But that's how it looks," he explained.
Among these steps, Zelenskyy cited deliberate restrictions on Starlink and delays in delivering Patriot missiles that Ukraine has paid for.
The president believes Trump has a good relationship with Putin.
"But one thing doesn't work here. Currently, Trump can't force Putin to end the war," Zelenskyy said.
What's next?
The Ukrainian leader believes relations could improve after the US midterm elections on November 3.
"Politics is very aggressive during election time. I think it is agony now, but after elections, life will continue, and I believe it will be calmer," he explained.
"I think that when the potential risks for Ukraine are of tsunami proportions, one should intervene while it's still just a mild storm. I believe much more is at stake than the diesel deal," the president added.
Zelenskyy also said he would most likely meet again this week with Trump's special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff.
On Friday, Trump froze a Russia sanctions bill Congress passed, after previously approving a deal with Moscow to supply diesel fuel. Meanwhile, Russia continues to attack Ukraine's energy infrastructure: during just one week of the so-called "energy truce," Russian forces attacked Ukrainian energy facilities 76 times.
Starlink restrictions have been in effect since the night of October 14. Since then, terminals on Ukrainian drones have maintained connectivity only at speeds up to 160 km/h. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied White House involvement, saying Ukraine currently lacks access to Starshield.
