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Relations between Trump and Zelensky hit a new low after the US agreed a deal to purchase Russian diesel
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Volodymyr Zelensky has seen a significant boost in his trust rating among Ukrainians amid an escalating war of words with Donald Trump, who has piled pressure on Kyiv to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries.
A new poll published by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on 20 October revealed that the Ukrainian president’s trust rating rose by 14 percentage points since the US struck a deal with Moscow to supply Russian diesel, drawing a furious reaction from Kyiv.
The survey found that 43% of Ukrainians trusted Zelensky between 8 October and 9, while 52% did not. Between 10 October and 16, his trust rating had jumped to 57%, while the number of people who distrusted him fell to 39%.
Relations between the US and Ukrainian president hit a new low on Tuesday after Trump accused him of “doing nothing” to stop a war started by Russia. Zelensky responded with a swipe at Trump last week, praising the “real leaders” in Europe who had backed Kyiv.
Elsewhere, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that it could be accurate that a batch of vital interceptor missiles headed for Ukraine has not been delivered.
Relations between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky have reached a new low after the US president tore up sanctions on Russia and struck a highly controversial deal to purchase Russian diesel.
The latest fracture followed months of careful positioning by the Ukrainian president and his allies in Europe to avoid upsetting Trump and the US abandoning the country altogether.
But with Ukraine facing another brutal winter of Russian strikes, Washington’s commitment to sharing vital intelligence and interceptor missiles is again in question.
And where Zelensky would once have tried to court the American president with open displays of praise and gratitude, this time he has stood his ground.
As US special envoy Steve Witkoff meets the Ukrainian president in Oslo in a bid to repair ties, The Independent looks back on the key moments that have shaped the rocky relationship between the two leaders:
Volodymyr Zelensky has seen a significant boost in his trust rating among Ukrainians amid an escalating war of words with Donald Trump, who has piled pressure on Kyiv to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries.
A new poll published by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on 20 October revealed that the Ukrainian president’s trust rating rose by 14 percentage points since the US struck a deal with Moscow to supply Russian diesel, drawing a furious reaction from Kyiv.
The survey found that 43% of Ukrainians trusted Zelensky between 8 October and 9, while 52% did not. Between 10 October and 16, his trust rating had jumped to 57%, while the number of people who distrusted him fell to 39%.
Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK, said on Tuesday that a Russian attack overnight hit three of its energy facilities in the southern Odesa region.
DTEK said on the Telegram app that 32,700 families remained without electricity. It said its crews were working around the clock to restore supply.
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky will fly to Oslo to meet US special envoy Steve Witkoff on Tuesday, trying to repair ties with Washington that have deteriorated sharply over the past two weeks as president Donald Trump has increasingly courted Moscow.
Trump, who has waived sanctions on Russia in what he says is an effort to lower US fuel prices, has repeatedly rebuked Zelensky. Kyiv says Washington has lately failed to provide early warning notification of Russian missile launches, and has throttled SpaceX satellite links that guide Ukrainian drones.
On Monday, Trump said “Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine” and “Zelensky is not helping matters much”. He called on Kyiv to find “somebody else to negotiate”.
Zelensky said he had spoken with secretary of state Marco Rubio on issues including ballistic missile interceptors, early warning of Russian missile attacks and “the situation with Starlink/Starshield, which needs to be restored”, referring to the SpaceX satellite system.
“Of course, all of this comes against the backdrop of our diplomatic efforts to end this horrific war and the constant killing of people,” Zelensky said in a post on X.
South Korea on Tuesday said it will withdraw some staff from its embassy in Kyiv, deepening a diplomatic row over Ukraine’s announcement last month of a transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war that Seoul says was meant to be secret.
The diplomatic dispute between the countries began after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky disclosed the prisoners’ transfer during a 23 September speech at the United Nations. South Korea has accused Ukraine of violating a nondisclosure agreement, but Ukraine denies the countries reached such a deal, further angering Seoul.
South Korea recalled its ambassador to Ukraine earlier this month in protest. Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi told local media at the time that Kyiv remains open to “constructive dialogue” and that “diplomacy must prevail over emotions”.
South Korean foreign ministry spokesperson Park Doosoon said that the withdrawal of additional embassy staff was due to Ukraine’s “lack of constructive steps” to address Seoul’s grievances as well as concerns about safety amid intensifying Russian attacks.
Trump’s plan for talks about Ukraine in China without Ukraine is the latest in his sabotage campaign for Vladimir Putin, writes world affairs editor Sam Kiley – and Europe and the UK need to act.
The Russian military struck three cargo vessels in Ukraine’s port of Reni and another cargo vessel en route to Odesa, the Russian defence ministry said on Telegram.
It also said it hit two logistics hubs in the Volyn region and in the city of Khmelnitskiy.
The Russian defence ministry claimed all the vessels and the logistics hubs were being used for military purposes.
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky is arriving in Oslo on Tuesday for talks on the war in Ukraine and European security, the Norwegian government and co-host Finland said.
Reuters reported on Monday that US president Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Norway this week for a round of negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine, and that Zelensky and European representatives were expected to attend.
“President Zelensky has asked Norway and Finland to arrange a meeting as part of ongoing diplomatic efforts, at a critical time for Ukraine,” Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said in a statement.
Finland’s president Alexander Stubb said he will attend meetings with Zelensky and Stoere to discuss “Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine and the overall security situation in Europe”.
Zelensky, Stubb and Stoere will hold a press conference later on Tuesday, Norway said.
The statements from Norway and Finland made no mention of any US or European delegations.
An overnight Russian airstrike killed three people and injured another six in the region surrounding Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv, the area’s emergency service said on Telegram on Tuesday.
Russian forces struck a production and warehouse building where a fire was later extinguished, the emergency service said in the post.
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