Trump eases Russia sanctions, attacks Zelensky over war

US President Donald Trump sparked international controversy after announcing on Truth Social his decision to ease economic sanctions on Russia, while launching a sharp attack on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and accusing him of missing repeated opportunities to end the war.

Trump described the move as straightforward, calling it a "very simple" decision. He argued that since he is in the middle of negotiations to reach a peace settlement, there is no logic in taking steps that would push Moscow away from the negotiating table. The president claimed "major progress" has already been made in talks between the sides.

"He needs to hold elections. He could have settled this issue many times," Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. The president also addressed the economic impact of the fighting: "He can't raise the price of oil, he's done enough."

Trump went on to blame Zelensky for sabotaging ceasefire efforts: "He doesn't want to end this war, and probably never did," the American president claimed. He repeated his position that the spark that led to the military confrontation with Russia would have been entirely preventable under his leadership: "This is a war that never should have happened. If I had been president then it wouldn't have taken place."

Kyiv's political establishment did not hold back. In an interview published by Bloomberg, Zelensky responded sharply to the accusations and charged that Trump is acting in Russia's interest. "Trump is trying to push Ukraine to surrender to Russia," Zelensky said, warning of a dangerous development: "We are now facing dangerous days ahead of the US elections. In my assessment, planned steps have been taken designed to convince Ukraine to surrender."

Putin proposes three-way summit with China

Meanwhile, a report in the Wall Street Journal sheds additional light on the warming dynamic between Washington and Moscow. According to the report, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed to Trump that they hold a three-way summit together with Chinese President Xi Jinping, with the aim of setting the terms for ending the war in Ukraine, on terms favorable to Russia.

The proposal was apparently raised during a phone call the two held on October 9, an occasion on which a fuel deal between the countries was also finalized. The Kremlin officially confirmed that the idea of a three-way summit is under active discussion.

Western officials think Putin wants to use his improved relationship with Trump to end the war on his own terms. Trump has recently become more critical of Ukraine and Zelensky. Putin hopes to use that to reach a deal directly with the US, without Ukraine or Europe having a say.