Trump Pressures Zelenskyy to Make Deal With Russia — SkimNews
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- Trump on Oct 20 publicly urged Zelenskyy to "make a deal" with Russia, saying "I don't think his people are going to stand for it any longer."
- Trump said he asked Putin to release Stephen Hubbard, an American captive held by Moscow's forces in Ukraine for years, telling reporters a deal "could be near" and "I do things that nobody else can do."
- Zelenskyy met US envoy Steve Witkoff in Oslo on Tuesday for talks aimed at easing tensions and welcomed resumed US intelligence sharing on looming Russian strikes.
- Zelenskyy insisted Kyiv must be included in any future talks on its fate, rejecting Trump's framing that Ukraine should simply concede.
- Trump referenced his bruising February 2025 Oval Office confrontation with Zelenskyy and VP Vance as a missed chance to strike a deal, while his administration partially lifted sanctions for a diesel-supply deal with Putin and slammed Zelenskyy as a warmonger for Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries.
Why it matters: Zelenskyy's demand to be included in any future talks directly contests Trump's framing that Ukraine must simply concede. Trump is simultaneously pursuing a diesel deal with Putin, seeking the Hubbard release, and resuming intelligence sharing — a posture that courts Ukraine's cooperation while sidelining its input on the actual terms.
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