Trump and Zelensky offer contrasting views on dealing with each other

Summary

After a week of tensions between Washington and Kyiv, Zelenskyy told Euronews that Trump was easier to deal with than Putin, despite the US president’s calls for new leadership in Ukraine and criticism of him. Trump said he believed the war would eventually end in a settlement, but claimed Zelensky was unwilling to reach an agreement and was harder to deal with than Putin.

Timeline

1. Hindustan Times

   16 Oct 2026, 03:38 UTCSource ↗

   Hindustan Times reports that Trump called Zelensky not a good guy, said he was harder to deal with than Putin and claimed he was unwilling to reach an agreement.

2. Euronews

   16 Oct 2026, 14:12 UTCSource ↗

   Euronews reports that Zelenskyy said Trump was easier to deal with than Putin, despite Trump’s criticism and calls for new leadership in Ukraine.