US President Donald Trump is increasing pressure on Eastern European countries to reach a deal to end their war with Russia amid rising tensions with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
Speaking at the White House on Tuesday, President Trump redoubled his efforts to accuse Ukraine’s president of slowing peace efforts to end the years-long conflict.
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“I’m sure President Zelenskiy wants to resolve this war, and if he doesn’t, I think it’s going to be very bad,” Trump said, referring to Russia’s “unlimited” supply of personnel to fight.
Shortly after, the US president referred to a controversial Oval Office meeting he had with Mr Zelensky in February 2025, shortly after his return to power.
Trump said at the time that Zelenskiy could have gotten a “better deal.” “I’m sure the president wants a deal because I don’t think the people will support it any more,” Trump told reporters.
On Tuesday, Ukraine’s president met with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and European leaders in Oslo, Norway, to discuss ending the Russia war.
In a post on social media after the meeting, President Zelensky said his country “has clear ideas on how to achieve peace,” without giving details.
“We are united with our European partners in this effort and hope that the Americans will convey these ideas to the Russians,” Zelenskiy wrote. “One of the key ideas is to move towards possible tripartite talks to address issues that only leaders can do.”
The Ukrainian leader added that Witkov was scheduled to leave for Russia on Wednesday, where peace talks are expected to continue.
“Let’s see what President Putin will say,” Zelenskiy said.
Asked whether Russian President Vladimir Putin should meet with Zelenskiy, Trump said there was “tremendous” hatred between the two leaders.
“It’s hard for them to be in the same room,” Trump said. “I don’t care how it’s done.”
starlink controversy
President Trump’s comments come as the White House continues to press Ukraine to force a deal with Russia.
Ukrainian authorities reported last week that StarShield, the military version of the Starlink satellite system operated by aerospace company SpaceX, was slowing down.
Ukraine relies on communications and intelligence technology to ward off Russian attacks.
It is unclear who ordered the restrictions limiting access to Ukraine’s Starshield. SpaceX CEO and Trump ally Elon Musk pointed to the White House.
“The StarShield system is owned and controlled by the U.S. government, and limits on its speed and use are determined by the U.S. military and ultimately by the president,” he wrote on Oct. 14.
Reuters also reported that the order came from inside the White House, citing two U.S. officials and a Western official.
But U.S. officials blamed Musk himself for the slowdown, saying the SpaceX CEO gave the order last week, according to a Wall Street Journal report on Tuesday. President Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth have both denied that the government ordered the restrictions, with Mr. Hegseth placing the blame on SpaceX.
Building a relationship with President Putin
Meanwhile, President Trump is trying to ease the historically tense relationship between Russia and the United States.
In August 2025, President Trump invited President Putin to Alaska, making him the first Russian leader to visit mainland United States in 10 years.
More recently, President Trump announced this month that he would be open to talks with President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping as part of trilateral talks on denuclearization.
President Trump also announced this month that he had struck a deal to get diesel from Russia, marking a stunning reversal of years of U.S. pressure on the Russian economy.
The US president also waived new economic restrictions that would have been imposed under Lindsey Graham’s Russia-Iran Sanctions Act, a bipartisan law he signed a month ago in honor of the late senator.
It would impose sanctions on Russian officials, banks and tankers, as well as tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the decision Tuesday, saying a provision built into the law allows for the waiver.
“The president has chosen to use national security exemptions to not immediately implement these (sanctions and restrictions) because he recognizes that these things need to be looked at holistically,” Rubio said in an interview with India’s News 18.
Mr. Rubio argued that Mr. Trump was performing a “balancing act” in determining the scope of economic restrictions imposed by the United States and how they would affect the rest of the world.
“When you apply that kind of pressure, it can spill over and have a negative impact on other countries,” Rubio said.
