Zelenskyy: war 'must end' as Trump waives Russia sanctions — SkimNews
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- Zelenskyy said Russia's war on Ukraine 'must be brought to an end' and reported 'virtually nonstop' communication with Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner despite a public spat with the US president.
- Trump on Friday waived sanctions targeting Russia's energy economy via executive order, prompting bipartisan backlash and, per Rubio, a request for up to 60 days to assess the economic consequences before imposing the penalties scheduled for Sunday.
- The Trump administration had earlier on October 9 authorized a deal for Russia to supply more than 300,000 metric tonnes of diesel to US and global markets despite existing sanctions, drawing criticism that the revenue could help Moscow sustain the war.
- Zelenskyy told NBC he was 'thankful' the US had resumed sharing ballistic-missile early-warning intelligence with Ukraine after a multi-day pause left the country blind to incoming strikes.
- Ukraine says speed restrictions on SpaceX's Starshield satellite service are hampering its ability to intercept Russia's upgraded jet-powered long-range drones; Rubio confirmed Kyiv is blocked from Starshield, with deep-strike access 'under discussion.'
- Trump on Truth Social accused Zelenskyy of not wanting to end the war, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on NBC called Zelenskyy 'very reckless' for blaming the US for the connectivity throttling.
- Russian strikes killed two people in Ukraine's western Volyn region near the Polish border on Sunday; separately, Ukraine hit St Petersburg with what Russian state media called the largest drone attack on the city since 2022, striking an oil refinery, an Ozon warehouse, and a VKontakte data centre.
Why it matters: The Friday sanctions waiver and 300,000-metric-tonne diesel deal — which Zelenskyy warns could embolden Putin and prolong the war — come precisely as the US has paused intelligence sharing and capped Starshield connectivity, both of which Ukraine cites as degrading its ability to intercept ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones.
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