WATCH | Zelensky gives cheeky response when asked if Trump is making him a scapegoat ahead of US midterms

A question about Donald Trump’s political troubles in the US drew an unexpected reaction from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose knowing smirk at a press conference in Brussels sent the audience into laughter. The brief exchange has drawn attention amid an escalating public rift between the two leaders.

A Sky News journalist asked whether Zelensky was becoming a scapegoat for Trump’s problems, pointing to the US president’s low popularity, rising diesel prices and the war with Iran. After a lengthy pause, Zelensky smiled at the audience and said: “This is my answer.” His unexpected response drew laughter from the audience.

Zelensky-Trump rift grows wider

This comes as tensions between Kyiv and Washington continue to rise following a US-Russia diesel agreement. Zelensky has criticised the easing of restrictions on Russian diesel exports, arguing that it could benefit Moscow without securing concessions.

On Saturday (Oct 17), Zelensky said that he believes that the US will lift more sanctions on Russia. He added that Trump’s actions only “reward” Putin. The Ukrainian leader also accused Russia of trying to cause a “blackout” in Ukraine ahead of winter after Moscow carried out a “massive” attack on Kyiv’s power grid on Friday. He also called on allies to “pressure” Moscow to stop this.

The Ukrainian president earlier declared that Kyiv will no longer abide by US President Donald Trump’s energy ceasefire that demanded a halt to attacks on energy infrastructure. On October 11, Trump announced the energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, saying it was “effective immediately”. While Zelensky denied knowledge of any such agreement, he initially said that he would abide by it if Moscow did the same. However, Ukraine accused Russia of striking at least six of its energy infrastructure just hours after the announcement.

Trump had repeatedly warned Kyiv against targeting Russia’s oil refineries, saying that it has led to a rise in fuel prices in the US ahead of the upcoming November 3 midterm elections. Meanwhile, reports suggested that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had also raised the possibility of limiting intelligence-sharing with Ukraine if the refinery attacks continued. A US official denied that a threat had been made.

Later in an interview with Newsmax, Trump claimed that the Ukrainian president “doesn’t want to settle” the ongoing war with Russia, adding that while both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky would like to see the war end, “but I think I find Zelensky to be more difficult to deal with than Putin.”

Starlink restrictions raise security concerns

Zelensky has also raised concerns about restrictions affecting Starlink and the military-grade Starshield satellite network, which Ukraine uses for battlefield communications and drone operations.

“This was a very unpleasant and dangerous surprise,” he said, adding that service had not fully returned to its previous level.

Despite the worsening relations, Zelensky said Ukrainian and US officials remained in contact and could arrange further talks.

At the EU summit, he also sought an additional 70 billion euros in European funding next year, warning that Ukraine needed sustained financial and military support to continue defending itself against Russia.