Trump Slams Zelensky, Waives Russia Sanctions, Deals on Diesel — SkimNews
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- Trump publicly attacked Zelensky this month, calling him "not a good guy" and saying he "doesn't know what he's talking about" after Zelensky criticized the US-Russia diesel deal as putting America "on the wrong side of history."
- Trump struck a deal with Putin to open US markets to Russian diesel just as Ukrainian negotiators arrived in Miami for talks with envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, blindsiding Kyiv during US midterm-focused price negotiations.
- Trump waived sanctions on Russia under the Graham Act two days before they were due to take effect, citing peace efforts, while former US ambassador William Taylor told the BBC the administration is giving "carrots to the Russians and sticks to the Ukrainians."
- The Washington Post, citing an unnamed Ukrainian official, reported only "a couple" of Patriot interceptors remain in Ukraine's stockpile amid a global shortage, with the Trump administration slowing allied transfer approvals.
- Zelensky told NBC News Ukraine did not receive US satellite intelligence during ballistic attacks for three days, and on 12 October five Russian S-400 missiles hit Kyiv before air raid sirens sounded.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied any pause in intelligence sharing, blaming a "software problem," while Reuters reported that Starlink throttling orders originated from the White House—a claim Rubio also denied.
- Despite the hostility, envoy Witkoff is taking updated proposals to St. Petersburg after the Oslo talks, and Zelensky indicated the early-warning issue is "already fixed" and sounded optimistic about resolving Patriot and Starlink disputes.
Why it matters: The pattern reported here—sanctions waivers, new Russian energy purchases, and alleged throttling of intelligence and Starlink—gives Kyiv concrete reasons to read US policy as pivoting toward Moscow, with former ambassador Taylor calling it "inexplicable." Meanwhile Ukraine's Patriot stockpile has dwindled to "a couple" of interceptors, leaving Kyiv more exposed to Russian ballistic strikes at exactly the moment political support in Washington is fraying.
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