Trump says Zelenskiy should get somebody else to negotiate to end war

Summary

US President Donald Trump said on Monday, October 19, that someone other than Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy should negotiate on Kyiv's behalf as it seeks to end the war with Russia. Trump had called on October 10 for Ukraine to replace its president. He told reporters that Russia has been "fine" with regard to Ukraine and that "they haven't been doing much." On the same day, Zelensky told US senators that the Pentagon is delaying delivery of interceptor missiles already paid for by European countries, and said Kyiv had no early warning of powerful Russian missile strikes, echoing claims made the previous week. Tensions between Kyiv and Washington have escalated over military aid and intelligence sharing.

Timeline

1. Straits Times

   19 Oct 2026, 20:11 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that Trump said on Monday he thought someone other than Zelenskiy should negotiate on Kyiv's behalf to end the war with Russia.

2. South China Morning Post

   19 Oct 2026, 21:52 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that Trump said on Monday that Zelensky may need somebody else to negotiate, noted he had called on October 10 for Ukraine to replace its president, and said Russia has been "fine" and "they haven't been doing much." It also reports Zelensky accusing the US of deliberately delaying interceptor missiles.

3. NDTV

   20 Oct 2026, 00:37 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that Trump said Zelensky should get "somebody else" to negotiate to end the war and told reporters that Russia has been "fine" with regard to Ukraine.