TL;DR
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President Donald Trump said in a Newsmax interview that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is harder to deal with than Russian President Vladimir Putin, and said he is “not a big fan” of Zelensky. Trump also criticized Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries and called for elections in Ukraine, while maintaining that he believes the war will end soon.
U.S. President Donald Trump said in a Newsmax interview that he finds Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky harder to deal with than Vladimir Putin, adding that he is “not a big fan” of Zelensky. Trump’s remarks come amid disputes over Ukraine’s attacks on Russian oil refineries, the status of a proposed energy truce and whether Ukraine should hold elections during martial law.
Trump accused Zelensky of not genuinely seeking a settlement, despite the Ukrainian president saying he wants one. “He says he wants to settle, but he doesn’t,” Trump said, according to Meduza’s report of the interview. He described Zelensky as “not a good guy for us to deal with” and said, “I find Zelenskyy to be more difficult to deal with than Putin.” These are Trump’s assessments; the interview report does not provide independent evidence for his claim about Zelensky’s intentions.
Trump also objected to Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, saying they were contributing to higher global fuel prices. “I think that’s a disgrace. There’s plenty of other targets,” he said. He questioned whether Zelensky retained public support and argued that Ukraine should hold an election, pointing to the effects of Russian missile attacks on apartment buildings.
Ukraine has not held elections during the war because martial law is in force. Trump nevertheless said he believes the conflict will “end soon,” arguing that both sides would like it to stop. He also acknowledged a major obstacle, saying Putin and Zelensky hate each other and that this makes an agreement difficult.
Dispute Over Peace and Energy
Trump’s comments matter because his administration’s position can affect U.S. support for Ukraine and diplomatic efforts to end Russia’s full-scale war. By publicly describing Zelensky as the harder negotiating partner and criticizing Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, Trump is placing responsibility for obstacles to a settlement partly on Kyiv.
The remarks also come amid competing accounts of efforts to halt attacks on energy facilities. A pause could affect the security of infrastructure and the wider fuel market, but the parties have given conflicting accounts of whether a truce was agreed and followed. Trump’s statements alone do not establish the terms or status of any agreement.
His call for elections raises a separate issue: Ukraine’s wartime political process. The country’s elections have not been held under martial law. Trump’s doubts about Zelensky’s support are his own assessment, not a reported election result or polling finding.
Ukrainian flag and emblem lapel pin
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Recent Truce Disagreement
On October 9, Trump agreed with Putin on supplies of Russian diesel fuel to U.S. and global markets, according to Meduza; Ukraine and European governments criticized the decision. On October 11, Trump announced that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to a truce in the energy sector. Zelensky said the announcement “came as news” to him, indicating that Ukraine had not been consulted or informed in the way Trump’s statement suggested.
On October 15, Zelensky said Ukraine had not struck Russian oil refineries for three days but would resume attacks because Russia had not observed the truce. Russian authorities, by contrast, have claimed Ukraine never stopped its strikes. These competing statements provide the immediate backdrop to Trump’s criticism in the Newsmax interview.
““came as news””
— Volodymyr Zelensky, on Trump’s October 11 truce announcement
Truce Terms Remain Disputed
The interview report does not clarify whether Trump’s comments reflect a change in U.S. policy or a new diplomatic initiative. It also provides no details about any concrete negotiations, a timetable for ending the war, or what Trump meant by saying the conflict would end soon.
The status of the energy-sector truce remains contested. Trump said Russia and Ukraine had agreed to it; Zelensky said the announcement was news to him, and the two governments have offered conflicting accounts of Ukrainian strikes. The report does not establish whether either side has accepted shared terms or how compliance would be verified.
Trump’s remarks about Zelensky’s public support are not accompanied by polling data. It is also not clear from the interview what steps, if any, Trump believes should be taken regarding Ukrainian elections while martial law remains in effect.
Next Steps in Truce Talks
The immediate questions are whether Russia and Ukraine can agree on clear terms for a pause in attacks on energy infrastructure and whether either side will confirm that such terms are in place. Further statements from Kyiv, Moscow and Washington may clarify what was discussed and how the parties would monitor compliance.
Trump has said he expects the war to end soon, but the interview report gives no proposed schedule or announced negotiating meeting. Readers will need to watch for concrete diplomatic steps, changes in U.S. policy and any further developments in Ukraine’s wartime restrictions on elections.
Key Questions
What did Trump say about Zelensky?
Trump said he finds Zelensky harder to deal with than Putin, accused the Ukrainian president of not wanting a settlement and said he was “not a big fan” of him.
Why did Trump criticize Ukraine’s refinery strikes?
Trump said the attacks on Russian oil refineries were contributing to higher global fuel prices and argued Ukraine had other targets. That explanation was his claim in the interview.
Did Russia and Ukraine agree to an energy truce?
Trump announced on October 11 that they had agreed to one, but Zelensky said the announcement “came as news” to him. Their accounts of whether Ukraine stopped striking refineries also differ, so the truce’s terms and status are unclear.
Why has Ukraine not held an election?
Ukraine has not held elections during the war because martial law is in force. Trump questioned whether Zelensky retained public support, but the interview report cited no polling data.
Did Trump give a timetable for ending the war?
No. Trump said he believes the war will “end soon,” but the report described no timetable, agreement or specific next negotiating step.
Source: rss
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