US ties with Ukraine hit new low as Trump slights Zelenskyy and eases up
on Russia
[October 20, 2026]
By BEN FINLEY, MATTHEW LEE and KONSTANTIN TOROPIN
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S.-Ukraine alliance is careening toward a
possible breaking point, with Moscow strengthened by President Donald
Trump's recent rejection of new Russia sanctions and Kyiv undermined by
disruptions in satellite support for its drones during the war.
Trump's relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has
always been a moving target, while the Republican president has
frequently boasted of his rapport with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
But relations between the U.S. and Ukraine appear to be at a new low,
threatening to tip the balance of the war to Russia's favor and imperil
America's security interests across the globe.
“At this moment in time, things look blacker than they ever had
regarding this administration’s policy towards Russia and Ukraine,” said
John Herbst, a former ambassador to Ukraine under President George W.
Bush and now a scholar with the Atlantic Council.
Trump has been lobbing insults at Zelenskyy for over a week and turning
to policies that benefit Putin, while Ukraine's president has said he
feels betrayed and worries for his country's future. But the American
president can still shift on Zelenskyy — especially as he faces
bipartisan outrage from lawmakers — which Trump has done before.
Trump famously thrashed Ukraine’s leader in the Oval Office last year,
warning him to “make a deal or we are out." Washington briefly suspended
intelligence sharing. But Trump was praising Zelenskyy by that July and
said they “actually developed a good relationship.”
“Trump is a mercurial guy,” Herbst said. “He can wake up tomorrow
morning, decide he’s done enough on this, and he might start to lean
back in the other direction.”
No one has taken responsibility for satellite restrictions on Ukraine
Trump's recent decisions have baffled experts and infuriated Democrats
and some Republicans ahead of pivotal midterm elections in two weeks.
After The Wall Street Journal reported that Putin raised the prospect of
a meeting with Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to negotiate an end
to the war in Ukraine, Trump told reporters Monday that he was open to
it but expected it to focus on denuclearization efforts. Asked whether
he would be willing to negotiate the end of the war without Zelenskyy,
Trump appeared to indicate yes.
“I think it’s time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine,”
Trump said.
Trump decided Friday to waive sanctions on Russia in a bill that
Congress overwhelmingly passed to support Ukraine. Named after late
South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, the legislation targeted
the flow of financial resources fueling Russia's war.
That rebuke followed Trump's announcement of a deal to import Russian
diesel fuel in a long-shot effort to curb high gas prices. The agreement
was pilloried by Republicans and Democrats alike who say it will help
Russia without making a difference in global fuel prices, which are
elevated mostly due to Trump’s war against Iran.
Then there were changes in SpaceX's satellite support to Ukraine's
military, for which no one has taken responsibility.
Starshield is a military-grade version of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite
internet service and the backbone of Ukraine’s drone operations and
communication. Zelenskyy says his country is facing major speed
restrictions, so Ukrainian drones have been unable to intercept Russia's
jet-powered drones.
SpaceX chief Elon Musk, a Trump ally, has said Starshield is controlled
by the U.S. and any limits are decided by the military and ultimately
Trump. But Trump told reporters Friday that he did not order
restrictions and doubted that Musk did either.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday that Ukraine wants access
to Starshield but doesn't have it. On Monday, he said the Pentagon
controls Starshield, and "Ukraine has benefited from it” and wants to
expand its use to conduct attacks beyond its territory.
The U.S. military has not responded to questions about its involvement.
And while Russia has launched new attacks on Ukraine’s energy
infrastructure, Zelenskyy said Monday that Kyiv once again received no
early warning of the latest attacks from partners such as the U.S.
“Russia killed six people, including a mother and her child, who was
just over a year old,” Zelenskyy said on X, adding that this "is how
Russia responds to sanctions waivers and reduced pressure.”
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President Donald Trump meets with Ukraine's President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy during the United Nations General Assembly, Sept. 22,
2026, at the UN headquarters. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson,
File)
Trump and Rubio say Washington hasn’t stopped providing intelligence
to Kyiv that has helped Ukraine counter Russian attacks.
Experts say Trump is trying to appease Putin
Dan Fried, a former U.S. ambassador to Poland and assistant
secretary of state for European affairs under Bush, said he was
mystified by the Trump administration’s shifting positions on
Ukraine.
Fried said he first thought Trump’s diesel fuel announcement was
aimed at trying to influence the midterms with cheaper fuel prices.
But what followed has changed his opinion.
“It all seems designed to put pressure on Zelenskyy and curry favor
with Putin,” said Fried, now a scholar with the Atlantic Council.
Fiona Hill, who was Trump’s Russia adviser on the National Security
Council during his first term, said Trump could be trying to appease
Putin over worries that Russia could do more to support Iran.
Since Trump launched the Iran war in February, Russia has sent drone
technology to Tehran and information that could help it strike
American warships, aircraft and other assets in the region.
“So maybe this is it — Putin’s just calling in a chit for not
devastating Trump through Iran as he could do by helping the
Iranians,” said Hill, now a senior fellow with the Brookings
Institution.
Trump revealed his worries on social media Sunday, saying, “Russia
is doing very little, if anything, to help the Islamic Republic of
Iran, compared to what they could be doing, and I want to keep it
that way, and will, unless stupid people get in the way.”
Criticism grows in Congress
One factor that could nudge Trump toward a detente with Zelenskyy is
the cascading criticism from Republicans. They are facing a surge of
Democratic momentum in the final stretch of the midterms, which will
determine control of Congress.
Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a moderate Republican in a
competitive race, is calling for congressional hearings into the
Starshield disruptions and "immediate harsh and punitive budget cuts
to any responsible agency or agency head.”
Democratic Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal said on X that he and
retiring Republican North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis organized a call
with Zelenskyy and a bipartisan group of lawmakers Monday, including
about disruptions to U.S. intelligence sharing.
Zelenskyy, in a video of the briefing posted online, also noted that
Ukraine has “almost no Patriot interceptors left from the United
States” and claimed “the Pentagon is delaying the delivery of
missiles that our partners have already paid for.”
Mississippi Republican Sen. Roger Wicker, who chairs the Senate
Armed Services Committee, urged Trump to take up Zelenskyy's pledge
to stop attacks on Russian energy infrastructure in exchange for
U.S. targeting assistance to stop Russia's missiles.
“President Trump can lower prices at the pump today by simply
agreeing to this deal!” Wicker posted on X.
Regardless of which political party controls Congress next year,
lawmakers will likely revolt if Trump enters into a deal with Russia
and China over Ukraine, said Fried, the former ambassador to Poland.
“It is clear that we are sitting on considerable leverage over
Putin," he said, "but also clear that we are not using it. It’s a
mess.”
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Associated Press writers Lynn Berry and Seung Min Kim contributed to
this report.
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