Trump Says Zelensky ‘Doesn’t Want to End This War’ as He Defends Russia Sanctions Waiver
Two days after signing an executive order waiving sanctions and tariffs on Russia, President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he believes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky 'doesn't want to end' the war, escalating a rift that has strained Washington's relationship with Kyiv.
President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he believes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “doesn’t want to end” the war with Russia, a sharp escalation in the rift between the two leaders days after Trump signed an executive order waiving sanctions and tariffs on Moscow.
Trump made the remarks in a lengthy written statement released Sunday afternoon, in which he defended the waiver and accused Zelensky of prolonging the war. “Zelensky doesn’t care, and frankly, with all of the money that Europe is famously giving him, he doesn’t want to end this war, and probably never did,” Trump said, according to the Washington Examiner.
The president signed the waiver on Friday, two days before the statement. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday the move creates a “60-day period so we can examine what’s going on,” adding that “the only thing that has been lifted is the diesel embargo,” according to the Washington Examiner. The decision drew bipartisan criticism in Washington.
Trump has repeatedly blamed Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil sites for high energy prices. On Sunday morning, Ukraine launched what Russian state media described as one of the biggest drone attacks of the year, hitting an oil terminal and a data center in St. Petersburg, the Washington Examiner reported.
Bessent calls Zelensky’s Starshield claim reckless
Trump has also signed a deal to import hundreds of thousands of tons of diesel from Russia, which the administration says will bring down domestic energy costs ahead of November’s midterm elections. The waiver covers sanctions ordered by a law Congress passed with an 86-11 vote, according to the Washington Examiner.
Bessent also rejected Zelensky’s allegation that the administration had cut Ukraine’s access to Starshield satellite technology, calling the claim “reckless,” according to the Washington Examiner.
“I am in the process of negotiating Peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and don’t want to do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table,” Trump said. “Great progress is being made.”
Reporting based on coverage by the Washington Examiner and Reuters.
