President Trump has called for a replacement for Zelensky as negotiator, while Ukraine’s president has said arms shipments have been delayed.
Published October 20, 2026
US President Donald Trump has said someone other than Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy should negotiate on Kiev’s behalf in negotiations to end the war with Russia.
“Mr. Zelensky is the one who should have settled this war a long time ago. If he had listened to me, he would have gotten a better deal a long time ago,” Trump told reporters outside the White House on Monday. “Maybe it’s time for Mr. Zelensky to let someone else negotiate.”
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The US president has been verbally abusive towards the Ukrainian president for several days as the rift between the leaders deepens.
On Sunday, President Trump claimed on Truth Social that President Zelenskyy does not want to end the war. Earlier this month, he called for the president to be replaced and labeled him a “warmonger” over Ukraine’s attack on a Russian oil refinery.
President Trump also defended sanctions waivers for Russia, saying in the same Truth social post that he wants to keep Russia at the negotiating table.
Zelensky said the decision would “damage Ukraine” and strengthen Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war effort.
President Trump also announced on Oct. 9 that Russia plans to supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel to the U.S. and global markets to combat rising fuel prices since the U.S. and Israel began their war against Iran in late February.
The decision has outraged Kiev as well as European partners and U.S. officials, who say it rewards Moscow for continuing its four-and-a-half year war with Ukraine.
Zelensky told US senators during a meeting on Monday that the Trump administration’s decision was “difficult to explain among friends.”
He said arms shipments were delayed and information sharing was limited.
“We also know that … the Department of Defense is delaying the delivery of missiles that our partners have already paid for through the PURL (Ukraine Priority Request List) program,” he said.
He added that, to his knowledge, one missile package is awaiting signature from U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
He also said several European countries are willing to move Patriot interceptor missiles from their stockpiles, but are awaiting U.S. approval.
In his remarks in a video posted on Telegram, President Zelensky said that Ukraine had not received advance warning of a Russian attack, which is typically provided by partner countries, three times in the past week.
President Zelenskiy suggested last week that the disruption of Starlink services in Ukraine was “deliberate.” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected this claim.
The sparring came as Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is scheduled to visit Norway this week for the next round of negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, Reuters reported, citing three people familiar with the matter.
Two of the sources said they expected Zelensky to attend the meeting.
The talks in Oslo are expected to be attended by Zelenskiy, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gare Stoer, and representatives from the E4, which is made up of Britain, France, Germany and Poland, the European Union and NATO.
