Zelenskyy accuses Trump administration of pressuring Ukraine to surrender

By Ahmet Taş | Wise News Press

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused the Trump administration of taking steps that appear designed to pressure Kyiv into concessions to Russia, citing delayed Patriot missiles and demands to halt refinery strikes.

In an interview with Bloomberg published Sunday, Oct. 18, Zelenskyy criticized several recent US decisions, including a slowdown in Patriot interceptor deliveries and alleged pressure on Ukraine to stop targeting Russia’s oil-refining infrastructure.

The Ukrainian president also raised concerns about the reported slowing of Starlink satellite internet services in Ukraine and questioned President Donald Trump’s ability to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war.

Zelenskyy says pressure resembles a push for capitulation

Zelenskyy said the Trump administration’s recent actions had created the impression that Washington was trying to force Ukraine to make concessions to Russia.

He stopped short of claiming that Ukraine’s capitulation was the official objective of the United States or its partners. However, he said the cumulative effect of the decisions made by Washington appeared to point in that direction.

“I believe steps were taken to convince Ukraine to capitulate,” Zelenskyy said, while stressing that he was not describing the stated objective of Ukraine’s partners.

Zelenskyy linked the growing tension between Kyiv and Washington to the US midterm elections scheduled for early November. He argued that American politics had become increasingly aggressive during the election campaign and suggested that this atmosphere was influencing Washington’s approach toward Ukraine.

The remarks represented unusually direct criticism of the Trump administration from the Ukrainian president, whose government remains dependent on Western military and political assistance as the war continues.

Kyiv proposed a missiles-for-restraint arrangement

According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine offered Washington a compromise involving attacks on Russian oil refineries and additional missiles for its Patriot air defense systems.

Under Kyiv’s proposal, Ukrainian forces would stop striking Russian facilities involved in producing diesel and other refined petroleum products. In return, the United States would provide additional Patriot interceptor missiles to help Ukraine protect its cities, energy facilities and other critical infrastructure.

Zelenskyy said Washington had not accepted the proposal as a reciprocal arrangement. Instead, he claimed, US officials wanted Ukraine to stop attacking Russian fuel infrastructure without guaranteeing the additional Patriot missiles requested by Kyiv.

The Ukrainian president said his proposal was straightforward: Ukraine would refrain from striking Russian diesel production facilities if the United States supplied enough Patriot missiles to protect Ukrainian sites from Russian attacks.

Zelenskyy further alleged that Ukraine could be cut off from unspecified forms of support if it refused to end the strikes. He did not provide further details about what assistance might be restricted.

Patriot deliveries allegedly fell to 12 missiles a month

Zelenskyy also criticized what he described as a significant reduction in the number of Patriot interceptor missiles delivered to Ukraine by the United States.

According to figures provided by the Ukrainian president, Washington is currently supplying Kyiv with 12 Patriot interceptors each month. Zelenskyy said this was approximately one-quarter of the monthly level delivered during former President Joe Biden’s administration.

He also claimed that some weapons shipments already paid for by Ukraine had not yet received final approval from the US authorities.

Patriot systems form an important part of Ukraine’s air defenses against missiles and other aerial threats. Zelenskyy said delays and reductions in interceptor deliveries weakened Ukraine’s ability to defend power stations, infrastructure and other facilities targeted during the war.

His comments suggested that the disagreement was not limited to the overall level of American support but also concerned the timing, approval and conditions attached to individual military deliveries.

Starlink slowdown adds to Kyiv’s complaints

The Ukrainian president also referred to the reported slowing of Starlink satellite internet services in Ukraine as another source of concern in Kyiv’s relationship with Washington.

Zelenskyy grouped the Starlink issue with delayed Patriot deliveries and pressure over attacks on Russian refineries, presenting them as a series of decisions that had increased the strain between the two governments.

He argued that restrictions affecting communications and air defense capabilities carried direct security consequences for Ukraine during the war.

Zelenskyy did not provide technical details about the reported Starlink slowdown in the interview. However, he included the issue among the recent developments that, in his view, contributed to the perception that Ukraine was being pressured to change its military strategy.

Trump has not forced Putin to end the war

Discussing the relationship between Trump and Putin, Zelenskyy said the US president maintained good relations with the Russian leader but had not succeeded in persuading him to end the conflict.

“At this point, Trump cannot force Putin to end the war,” Zelenskyy said.

His comments reflected Kyiv’s continuing doubts about whether the Trump administration’s engagement with Moscow could produce an agreement acceptable to Ukraine.

Zelenskyy’s criticism focused on the results of Trump’s approach rather than on the existence of diplomatic contacts between Washington and Moscow. The Ukrainian president argued that Trump’s relationship with Putin had not yet translated into meaningful pressure on the Kremlin to stop the war.

The remarks also underscored Kyiv’s concern that efforts to reach an agreement could place greater pressure on Ukraine than on Russia.

Zelenskyy hopes ties improve after US midterms

Despite his criticism, Zelenskyy expressed hope that relations between Kyiv and Washington could improve after the US midterm elections on Nov. 3.

He described the current period as politically tense and suggested that the Trump administration’s approach might become calmer and more predictable after the election campaign ended.

Zelenskyy said politics often became highly aggressive during elections and characterized the present tensions as part of a difficult but potentially temporary period.

The Ukrainian president indicated that Kyiv still expected to maintain its partnership with Washington despite the disagreements over Patriot deliveries, Starlink services and attacks on Russian fuel infrastructure.

He said he believed political life would continue after the elections and expressed hope that relations between the two countries would enter a calmer phase.

Zelenskyy’s remarks nevertheless highlighted the widening differences between Ukraine and the Trump administration over the conduct of the war, the conditions attached to US assistance and the balance of pressure applied to Kyiv and Moscow.

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