U.S. President Donald Trump, in an interview with the Newsmax television channel published on October 16, 2026, strongly criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The American leader stated that Zelenskyy is "not the right person for us to deal with" regarding agreements to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries. According to Trump, it is significantly easier to reach an agreement with Vladimir Putin, whom he also referred to as a "dictator" in the same interview. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing a recording of the White House chief's conversation with the Newsmax host.
Resumption of Refinery Strikes and Trump’s "Request"
During the conversation, the Newsmax host noted that starting October 15, Ukraine resumed strikes on Russian oil refining enterprises. The host also suggested that Trump had previously asked Zelenskyy to refrain from such actions. The American president confirmed that he had approached the Ukrainian leader with such a request, but stated that Zelenskyy is "not the person you need to deal with." Trump reiterated his thesis that the Ukrainian president allegedly does not want to reach a deal: "He says he wants to make a deal, but he doesn't really want to," he stated, adding that he is not "a big fan of Zelenskyy" and accusing the Ukrainian side of having "destroyed their country."
"Hatred" Between Zelenskyy and Putin as a Barrier to Negotiations
Trump once again repeated his persistent thesis that a personal "hatred" exists between Zelenskyy and Putin, which hinders the development of the negotiation process. He also reiterated that had he been president in 2020, the war would not have begun. According to the American leader, it is precisely the personal antagonisms of the two leaders that make reaching an agreement impossible, whereas, in his words, "it's easier to make a deal" with Putin. Thus, Trump effectively shifts the responsibility for derailing the negotiation track onto Zelenskyy, labeling him a non-constructive partner.
"The General Who Didn't Turn Down the Country Road": Trump’s Narrative on the Start of the War
A special place in the interview was occupied by Trump's account of the reasons why the war, in his words, "should have been very short." The American president once again reproduced his narrative that a certain general failed to turn down a country road in time, causing Russian tanks to "get stuck in the mud" and halting the offensive on Kyiv. "So they got lucky, I suppose," Trump commented, adding that "five years have passed and Ukraine has lost a massive number" of people. At the same time, he noted that Russia also suffered losses, but "Russia is a huge country with 150 million people," which, according to his logic, makes Ukrainian losses more significant proportionally.
Timetable for Ending the War: "It should end soon"
To a direct question from the host about whether the war would end before the end of his presidential term, Trump replied that the conflict would conclude "very soon." "I think actually both sides would like to see it end," he stated, but once again emphasized that "it's harder to make a deal with Zelenskyy than with Putin." Thus, in the Newsmax interview, Trump formed a cohesive yet one-sided picture: he simultaneously accuses Zelenskyy of being unwilling to negotiate, calls him a non-constructive partner, retells the established narrative about a "short war" and the "mud" near Kyiv, and then concludes that the war "should end soon" without disclosing specific mechanisms or conditions for such an ending.
The interview was published on the day when, according to the Ukrainian side, strikes on Russian oil refineries resumed after a brief pause. Trump's statement, made against this backdrop, is perceived in Kyiv as additional pressure on Ukraine's negotiating position and as public support for Moscow's line on halting attacks on energy infrastructure. There has been no official reaction from Kyiv to Trump's remarks at the time of publication.
