The series of recent steps by the president that seem to favor Vladimir Putin reflect his intensifying desire to normalize the relationship with Moscow even if it means further undercutting Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he didn’t want to believe that Washington wanted an end to the war at Ukraine’s expense. “But that’s how it looks,” he added.
Damage from a Russian attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Monday. The country has complained about what it describes as lapses in U.S. intelligence sharing before attacks.
The fighters are a key tool against Moscow’s latest weapon of choice. But deploying the multimillion-dollar planes to counter drones is an imperfect fix.
The Fetesti Air Base Air Base in Borcea, Romania, this month. The base is the only training site outside the United States where Ukrainian pilots fly the F-16.
The president on Sunday justified his reversal of almost five years of sanctions against Russia as part of peace negotiations. He did not name any hostage.
President Trump wrote on social media on Sunday: “I am in the process of negotiating Peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and don’t want to do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table.”
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine pressed Sunday for more information on possible restrictions to Starshield, a U.S.-provided satellite internet service used by the Ukrainian military.
Temporary Protected Status for the two countries was set to expire on Monday. The Trump administration said an announcement would be made “at the appropriate time.”
The decision to hold off on an announcement about Ukrainian and Sudanese migrants mirrored a similar move by the Trump administration last month to allow people from El Salvador to keep their deportation protections for now.
Where the two presidents’ war of words will end is anybody’s guess. But if it continues, it could threaten the crucial operational help that Ukraine still gets from the United States.
The Ukrainian president’s defiant decision to continue attacking Russian refineries underscores President Trump’s inability to end a war he had promised to resolve.
President Trump during a campaign stop in Alaska on Tuesday. He has not delivered on his promises to end the war in Ukraine, or to lower prices, and recent deals with Russia could complicate both issues.