Trump accused of selling out Ukraine
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The gist
US President Donald Trump exempted Russia from major new sanctions days before they took effect.
The waiver drew bipartisan criticism and Zelensky's charge that it only helps Russia.
Background
Donald Trump is the US president, whose administration has eased Russia sanctions and pressured Kyiv; Volodymyr Zelensky is Ukraine's president, in the seventh year of a five-year term with elections barred under martial law. Ties between Washington and Kyiv have been in crisis since Trump returned to power, with the White House increasingly blaming Zelensky rather than Vladimir Putin, Russia's president who launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, for the war's continuation. The rift widened over two weeks as Trump moved to let Russia sell diesel to the US and then waived parts of the sanctions law, which had passed the Senate 86-11.
How it unfolded
- Oct 16, 2026Trump signed an executive order exempting Russia from major new sanctions passed by Congress in September, days before they were due to take effect; he said the waiver was in the US national interest.
- Oct 16, 2026Trump told Newsmax he is "not a big fan of Zelensky" and finds him "more difficult to deal with than Putin"; the administration also warned Kyiv it could halt intelligence-sharing and block European purchases of US weapons.
- Oct 17, 2026Trump faced bipartisan backlash over the waiver, and Zelensky said the decision "seems wrong to me. And it definitely helps only the Russians."
- Oct 20, 2026EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told the European Parliament that American negotiators have been trying to push Ukraine into surrender for almost two years.
- Oct 21, 2026Trump envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin in St. Petersburg for the ninth time, days after the sanctions easing; the Kremlin released retired American teacher Stephen Hubbard.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Zelensky said the waiver "seems wrong to me" and "definitely helps only the Russians," and told Bloomberg he feels betrayed by Trump.
- Party
- Republican senators Thom Tillis and John Cornyn and Democrats Elizabeth Warren and Don Beyer criticised the move, with Tillis calling it "beyond irresponsible" and accusing the administration of capitulating to Putin.
- Analysts
- EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said American negotiators have been trying to push Ukraine into surrender for almost two years, and that Europe's support is why Ukraine hasn't surrendered on Putin's terms.
- Caution
- The Council on Foreign Relations said Trump's overtures to Putin deserve criticism but that outrage alone won't end the Ukraine war.
Still unverified
The White House and Elon Musk both denied responsibility for deciding to limit Starlink usage in Ukraine; Trump said "It wasn't me and I don't think it was Elon," while The Telegraph reported Musk suggested limiting Starlink access to Trump and Reuters reported the order came from inside the White House. Trump also announced a Russia-Ukraine energy ceasefire but later signaled he hadn't informed the combatants beforehand.