World

Trump-Zelenskyy Rift: Peace Accusations and Russian Diesel Deal

Stateline MEDIA Newsroom•October 19, 2026•3 min read

US-Ukraine ties fray as Trump accuses Zelenskyy of refusing to end the war, amid Washington's controversial Russian diesel deal ahead of midterms.

Key Facts

Presiden AS Donald Trump, lewat unggahan Truth Social yang dikutip AFP pada Senin (19/10/2026), menuduh Presiden Ukraina Volodymyr Zelenskyy tidak berniat mengakhiri perang Rusia-Ukraina; ia mengklaim negosiasi damai yang dipimpinnya mencatat kemajuan besar, termasuk negosiasi sandera.
Trump membela executive order yang diterbitkan Jumat lalu berupa pengecualian sanksi (sanctions waiver): AS menyetujui impor lebih dari 300 ribu ton metrik diesel dari Rusia; Menkeu AS Scott Bessent menyebutnya sebagai periode 60 hari, dengan motif menekan harga BBM jelang pemilu paruh waktu AS awal November.
Pemicu langsung kemarahan Trump adalah serangan Ukraina ke terminal minyak St. Petersburg pada Minggu, setelah Trump sebelumnya memperingatkan Kyiv agar jangan menyerang kilang minyak diesel; Rusia mengklaim menembak jatuh 1.015 drone Ukraina dalam semalam hingga Minggu.
Zelenskyy membalas dalam wawancara NBC Meet the Press: langkah AS yang berpihak ke Moskow adalah kesalahan besar dalam sejarah; ia menuduh Trump menekan Ukraina untuk menyerah kepada Rusia, namun yakin ketegangan politik mereda setelah pemilu paruh waktu AS.
Zelenskyy menelepon utusan khusus AS Steve Witkoff dan Jared Kushner pada Minggu (18/10) untuk membahas pertemuan damai baru secepat pekan ini; Ukraina siap menghentikan serangan ke kilang Rusia bila Rusia berhenti menyerang infrastruktur energi Ukraina, dan mengeluhkan layanan Starlink yang diperlambat.

Sharp Accusations from Truth Social

Washington — United States President Donald Trump leveled harsh accusations against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In a Truth Social post cited by AFP on Monday (10/19/2026), Trump accused Zelenskyy of having no intention of ending the Russia-Ukraine war.

Trump claimed the peace negotiations he led had made major progress, including in hostage release talks. However, according to him, Kyiv was obstructing those steps. 'Zelenskyy 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 wrote.

He concluded his statement with uppercase emphasis: 'I WANT THIS WAR END!'

Domestic Motive: Russian Diesel and Midterm Elections

Behind the verbal attack, Trump defended his controversial decision: an executive order issued last Friday granting a sanctions waiver that allowed the US to approve the import of more than 300,000 metric tons of diesel from Russia.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described the measure as a 60-day period. According to Trump, diesel imports from Russia were necessary to curb domestic fuel prices ahead of the US midterm elections held in early November.

Trump's anger was triggered by a Ukrainian attack on an oil terminal in St. Petersburg on Sunday. Trump had previously warned Kyiv not to strike diesel refineries. Russia claimed to have shot down 1,015 Ukrainian drones overnight into Sunday.

Zelenskyy: A Great Historical Mistake

Zelenskyy pushed back forcefully in an interview on NBC's Meet the Press. He called Washington's move of siding with Moscow a great historical mistake, and accused Trump of pressuring Ukraine to surrender to Russia.

Nevertheless, Zelenskyy viewed the tensions as temporary. Politics becomes very aggressive during election cycles, he said, expressing confidence that political tensions would ease after the US midterm elections conclude.

Diplomatic Channels Remain Open

Amid the heated rhetoric, diplomatic channels are reportedly still active. Zelenskyy called US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Sunday (10/18) to discuss a new peace meeting that could be held as early as this week.

Ukraine stated it is prepared to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries if Moscow stops attacking Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Kyiv also complained about Starlink satellite internet services allegedly being throttled.