US President Donald Trump on Sunday defended his decision to waive some sanctions against Russia and again accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of not wanting to end the war.
His remarks came after Trump signed an executive order late on Friday to waive sweeping new Russia-related sanctions required under a law named after the late US senator Lindsey Graham, the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026.
Trump has also temporarily lifted sanctions on Russian diesel, allowing large volumes to enter global markets in an effort to bring down fuel prices ahead of the US elections early next month.
Trump says ‘great progress’ made in negotiations
On Sunday, Trump said on his Truth Social platform that he was working towards a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine and had made “great progress”.
However, he claimed: “Zelensky doesn’t care, and frankly, with all of the money that Europe is famously giving him… he doesn’t want to end this war, and probably never did.”
Trump and Zelensky have clashed over the US President’s decision to block new sanctions against Russia and strike a diesel supply deal with Moscow. The agreement stunned Kyiv and its allies, triggering another dispute between the two leaders and further straining their already troubled relationship.
“Zelensky is using Diesel Refineries in Russia as a target, knowing that these attacks are seriously hurting the world diesel markets, including those in the United States,” Trump said.
For months, Trump has tried to distance rising energy prices from the US war on Iran, which disrupted oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and drove up global energy costs. He has instead blamed Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure for the price increases.
“He doesn’t want to end this war, and probably never did,” Trump wrote of Zelensky. “He could have made a better deal two years ago than he can now. His country is in shambles, a large portion of his land is lost, his oceans and seas are gone, and his male population is low, wounded, and/or dead. I WANT THIS WAR END!”
Zelensky accuses Trump of trying to pressure Ukraine
In an interview with Bloomberg News on Sunday, Zelensky accused Trump of trying to force Kyiv to surrender to Russia. His remarks escalated the dispute between the two leaders that has continued for a week.
Zelensky also accused the US of deliberately restricting Ukraine’s access to its Starlink and Starshield systems. These systems help Ukraine intercept incoming Russian drones and identify safe routes for delivering food and supplies to its troops. The White House has denied any role in the temporary shutdown.
“Now, we have dangerous days ahead of the elections,” Zelensky said, referring to the US midterm elections on November 3. “My latest model was: We don’t target Russian diesel, you give us missiles for Patriot systems to protect our facilities. But they just want us to stop attacking diesel. And if we strike that, they will disconnect us from something.”
Zelensky said relations with Washington could improve after the US midterm elections.
“Politics is very aggressive during election time,” he said. “I think it is agony now, but after elections, life will continue and I believe it will be calmer.”
