Trump-Zelenskyy rift threatens vital support for Kyiv

FROM US threats to cut off intelligence support for Ukraine to a waiver of tariffs on Russian exports and a diesel deal that could help Russia fund its war, it has been a damaging week for ties between Kyiv and its most important ally, Washington.

US President Donald Trump, frustrated by high energy costs he blames partly on Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries, has repeatedly criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

A disruption of US-provided satellite internet services raised fears that Ukraine could be vulnerable as it prepares for another winter of Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure.

Zelenskyy responded to Trump's barbs with an unusually sharp series of public criticisms of Trump, suggesting the US was now favouring Russia.

He said Ukraine would defy Trump's demand to stop striking Russian energy targets, citing Russia's continued attacks.

Intensifying the discord, Trump waived key US Russia-related sanctions and tariffs on Friday, shortly before they were scheduled to take effect.

That prompted Zelenskyy to say in social media posts that Trump's action would encourage Russia to continue attacks on Ukraine.

The widening rift has sparked concerns that Trump and Zelenskyy's tumultuous relationship could lead to even worse outcomes for Kyiv.

Denys Sienik, charge d'affaires at Ukraine's embassy in Washington, told Newsmax on Friday that Ukraine was grateful to Trump and his team for their efforts to end the war and said Ukraine was willing to engage in talks with Russia.

Daniel Fried, the senior State Department official on Europe from 2005 to 2009, said it was unclear whether Washington was making a lasting shift away from Ukraine, but the fallout was damaging prospects for an end to the war that began with Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion.

"It's not only a missed opportunity, it causes genuine suffering in Ukraine and encourages Putin to continue the war, so it's not cost-free," said Fried, now at the Washington-based Atlantic Council think tank.

Trump's relationship with Zelenskyy has long been uneasy. Trump and US Vice President JD Vance publicly upbraided Zelenskyy during an Oval Office meeting in February 2025.

The relationship had steadied until Ukraine's strikes this year on energy sites in Russia began contributing to rising fuel prices.

High gasoline and diesel prices are a political headache for Trump ahead of November's midterm elections, in which his Republican Party could lose its majorities in the US Congress, according to analysts.

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Experts say that surge in energy costs is mainly the result of the US-Israeli war with Iran, which brought Iranian ​attacks on energy facilities and has largely shut the vital Strait of Hormuz.

Frustrated by Zelenskyy, however, Trump turned to Russia to increase fuel supply and contain prices, according to a person familiar with the internal debate, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Trump said on Oct 9 he had reached a deal with Putin to temporarily lift sanctions on Russian fuel and import Russian diesel.

In an executive order released by the White House on Friday, Trump also waived key Russia-related US sanctions and tariffs shortly before they were supposed to take effect under the Graham Act, which Trump signed last month.

For Kyiv, the stakes are high and immediate. Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that Ukraine had received no warning from Western partners ​before a deadly Russian attack on the capital.

Without US intelligence, Ukraine could face greater difficulty detecting and countering Russian missile and drone attacks.

Ukraine's Starshield system, the military-grade version of SpaceX's Starlink service, was disrupted after what two US officials and a Western official briefed on the matter said was an order originating from the White House, Reuters reported on Thursday.

Ukraine retains support among Trump's fellow Republicans, some of whom argue that Washington should not pressure Kyiv into accepting a settlement on terms favourable to Moscow.

Zelenskyy's tough responses to Trump were risky, but he may be counting on a power shift on Capitol Hill after the midterm elections to make it harder for Trump to ease sanctions on Russia and further reduce military assistance to Kyiv, said Brett Bruen, a former foreign policy adviser in the Obama administration.

"Zelenskyy knows who he's dealing with," he said. "Trump's threats don't have the same kind of effect as they did when JD Vance tried to shame him in the Oval Office."