Trump Ramps Up Pressure on Zelenskyy as Kremlin Cheers, WP Reports

US President Donald Trump may be stepping up pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept a political settlement to end Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The goal may be to reach an agreement before December, when Trump has invited Russian leader Vladimir Putin to a G20 summit in Miami, as reported by The Washington Post.

Following a recent telephone call between Putin and Trump, Washington announced a sanctions waiver for Russian diesel supplies, restricted Ukraine’s access to military satellite systems, paused new sanctions against Russia, held up interceptor missile deliveries, and called for leadership changes in Kyiv.

On October 20, Trump criticized Zelenskyy again, stating it was “time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine,” according to The Washington Post. In response to the White House's policy shift, US congressional lawmakers, including Republicans, are seeking ways to preserve military support for Kyiv and prevent concessions to Moscow.

Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff met Zelenskyy, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in Oslo on October 20, with Jared Kushner participating via video link.

In Washington, experts such as Andrew Weiss from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace suggested that Trump’s push for a resolution is linked to the upcoming Miami G20 summit, warning that Moscow could demand troop withdrawals from Donbas and limitations on Ukraine's future defense capabilities, The Washington Post reported.

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Meanwhile, Russian elites cited Putin's leverage over rising US diesel prices, which reached $6.33 per gallon on Friday, an increase of 5 cents from the previous week. Former Russian opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky observed that Moscow is taking advantage of perceived American weakness.

Trump expressed willingness to participate in a trilateral summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

However, he stated that the discussions would focus primarily on nuclear weapons and disarmament rather than ending Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to Forbes Breaking News on October 19. Speaking to reporters, Trump noted that he would consider attending such a meeting while downplaying the need to address the situation in Ukraine as its central topic.

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