On October 20th, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said that he had a productive conversation with United States Secretary of State Rubio that day. “I appreciate his willingness to provide assistance, as well as the clear position he expressed.”
Zelensky said that both sides discussed three issues: air defense interceptors used to intercept ballistic missiles, early warnings for Russian ballistic missile attacks, and the status of "Starlink" and "Star Shield".
The BBC noted that although Zelenskyy is optimistic, it is difficult to ignore the fact that he and U.S. President Donald Trump seem to be in opposition again.
The relations between Ukraine and the United States are becoming increasingly tense due to issues such as intelligence sharing, sanctions, Ukraine's attacks on Russian energy supplies, and peace processes. There also seems to be an increasing mutual distrust between Trump and Zelenskyy.
"Beautiful U alliance will slide towards a possible collapse edge."
American cable news network CNN, The Associated Press and other Western media also reported in their articles.
On February 28, 2025, local time, in Washington D.C., Trump and Zelenskyy met at the White House, resulting in a heated argument. Visual China
In recent days, there has been continuous public confrontation between Trump and Zelenskyy.
Last week, Trump called the attack on the Russian refinery in Kiev a "shame," and said bluntly that he doesn't like Zelensky, believing that Zelensky is more difficult to deal with than Putin.
Zelensky in a interview on the 18th responded by saying, 'Rather than having killers who smile, I prefer to have honest and clear-minded partners.'
He also said that Trump is forcing Ukraine to surrender to Russia.
On the same day, Trump criticized Zelensky, saying that he “does not want to end this conflict, and may never want to end it.”
On the 19th, he once again criticized Zelenskyy, saying that he didn’t know what he was talking about, and stated that “perhaps it’s time for Zelenskyy to find someone else to negotiate with.” He also called for a change of president in Ukraine on the 10th.
The direct trigger of this storm was the diesel fuel agreement reached between the Trump administration and Russia.
On the 9th, while Ukrainian negotiators were meeting with U.S. President Trump’s special envoy Weterkov and Kushner in Miami, they suddenly learned that Trump had just reached an agreement with Russian President Putin, allowing Russian diesel fuel to enter the U.S. market.
Trump believes that this agreement will reduce energy prices in the United States. He posted on social media at the time, saying, "Reducing prices for Americans, especially those of us great farmers, ranchers, and truck drivers, is my top priority."
Regarding this, Zelenskyy criticized that allowing Russia to export diesel is a "weak decision made by a strong partner."
On October 16th, Trump signed an executive order to exempt several sanctions, restrictions, and tariff measures under the Graham Act, citing compliance with U.S. national interests. The relevant measures were originally scheduled to take effect on October 18th, including punitive tariffs on Russian energy trade and related importing countries.
Trump said that the sanctions under the Graham Law would hinder his efforts to promote peace.
One accusation further deepens Trump’s image as a traitor to Ukraine: The United States has restricted intelligence flows and interfered with Ukraine’s use of Starlink. The US side has denied this claim.
