The Ukrainian president said recent U.S. moves have strained relations but expressed hope that Washington will continue supporting Kyiv.
KYIV, UKRAINE — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Sunday that his country would struggle to withstand Russia if the United States formally aligned itself with Moscow, describing such a shift as a “historic mistake” while saying he still hopes President Donald Trump will remain an ally.
Zelenskyy made the comments in an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” as tensions between Kyiv and Washington have grown over U.S. policy toward Russia, sanctions, intelligence sharing and Ukraine’s attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. His warning came as the Trump administration seeks a negotiated end to a war that has lasted more than four and a half years and as Ukraine remains heavily dependent on Western military, intelligence and air-defense support.
Asked about the possibility that Washington could move more firmly toward Russian President Vladimir Putin, Zelenskyy said the consequences for Ukraine would be severe. “If these two countries will be together … we will not prevail, and we will not be able to stand,” he said. Zelenskyy nevertheless stopped short of declaring the U.S. relationship lost. Referring to Trump, he said, “We want to trust him,” and expressed hope that the president would reconsider decisions Kyiv views as damaging.
Those decisions include Trump’s move Friday to waive planned sanctions against Russia, which the president said was in the national interest of the United States. The action followed an agreement involving Russian diesel exports as global fuel prices remain elevated. Zelenskyy said he believes easing economic pressure on Moscow could strengthen Putin’s ability and willingness to continue the war. He also questioned whether the diesel arrangement would significantly affect U.S. energy prices.
The Trump administration and its supporters have presented a different view. Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., told “Meet the Press” that Trump was trying to balance pressure on Russia with economic concerns at home and was working to bring Ukraine and Russia to negotiations. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also rejected Zelenskyy’s framing that Ukraine must prevail militarily, saying the goal should be to end the war through a negotiated settlement. Bessent pointed to continued U.S. intelligence support and American munitions reaching Ukraine as evidence that Washington is still helping Kyiv.
One major source of concern for Ukraine has been intelligence used to detect Russian ballistic missile launches. Zelenskyy said U.S. intelligence sharing was interrupted for several days before being restored. “We are very thankful for this,” he said. “Now it works.” He said Ukraine had gone three days without receiving the specialized U.S. warnings it relies on to help track incoming ballistic missiles. Trump had earlier said intelligence cooperation was continuing, while Ukrainian officials reported that some attacks had occurred without the usual warning.
Zelenskyy also said restrictions remained on Ukraine’s use of Starshield, the military version of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite communications system. He said he did not know precisely who ordered the limits but suggested Trump and SpaceX chief Elon Musk were involved. The White House did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment on Zelenskyy’s allegation. The restrictions have become another point of friction because Ukrainian forces depend heavily on satellite communications for battlefield operations.
The dispute is unfolding as fighting continues on both sides of the border. Ukrainian forces launched more than 1,000 drones toward Russia on Sunday in one of the largest aerial attacks of the war, according to Russian authorities. Oil facilities in St. Petersburg caught fire, and local officials reported casualties. Russia also continued attacks on Ukraine, including strikes on energy infrastructure. Zelenskyy has argued that pressure should remain focused on Moscow because Russia began the full-scale invasion and continues attacking Ukrainian territory.
The disagreement over energy targets has become especially important. Trump announced an “energy ceasefire” earlier this month and criticized Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil infrastructure. Ukraine initially paused some operations, but Ukrainian officials said Russian strikes against their energy system continued. Kyiv later resumed attacks on Russian oil facilities. Zelenskyy said Sunday that Russia had carried out dozens of attacks against Ukraine’s energy, oil and gas sectors since Trump announced the arrangement, arguing that Moscow had not responded to U.S. concessions with comparable restraint.
Despite the increasingly public disputes, diplomatic contacts between Ukraine and the United States continued Sunday. Zelenskyy spoke by phone with Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and said the teams were in nearly constant communication about possible next steps. He said the conversation included the results of earlier U.S.-Ukrainian talks in Florida and preparations for further diplomacy. Zelenskyy had also told NBC that he remained open to additional talks with U.S. officials despite what he called difficult circumstances.
The interview underscored the central dilemma facing Kyiv: Ukraine wants to preserve its relationship with its most important military partner while resisting U.S. policies that it fears could give Russia greater economic or strategic room to continue the war. Zelenskyy said he remains willing to work with Washington and hopes Trump changes course on decisions Kyiv opposes. For now, intelligence cooperation has resumed and diplomatic discussions are continuing, but major disagreements over sanctions, energy strikes and the terms of any settlement remain unresolved.
Author note: Last updated October 18, 2026.