Trump Presses Ukraine to Seek Deal as Support Strains and Talks Loom

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Oct. 20 that Ukraine "has to want to make a deal" to end Russia's war, pressing Kyiv publicly as questions grow over American military support. Kyiv Post

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the same day that the United States had resumed sharing intelligence with Ukraine about Russian strikes. The Pentagon had blocked the delivery of Patriots to Kyiv paid for by other countries, he said. The Guardian

The assessment in The New York Times is that Trump's push for deals and political fractures in Europe are giving Russian President Vladimir Putin the opening he has been waiting for.

On the diplomatic track, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff will offer Putin direct face-to-face talks with Trump and Zelenskyy, as reported on Oct. 20. Politico Putin has proposed a summit with Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to discuss a Ukraine deal, according to a Wall Street Journal account cited by Reuters. Reuters

The U.S.-Ukraine relationship is careening toward a possible breaking point, the Associated Press reported. Trump has said Ukraine needs a new leader, suggesting Zelenskyy has not done enough to end the war.

A separate strain involves battlefield communications. Reuters reported, citing sources, that the order to limit Ukraine's Starshield satellite system, used for battlefield communications and drone operations, came from inside the White House. Reuters

Economic contacts between Washington and Moscow continue alongside the war diplomacy. Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev said Russia and the U.S. are discussing joint deals including on data centres. Reuters On Oct. 13, Trump said the U.S. was sharing intelligence with Ukraine and defended a Russian diesel deal. On Oct. 20, Trump said he raised with Putin the case of American Stephen Hubbard and asked for his release. Reuters