Trump Says Zelensky Should Get "Somebody Else" to Negotiate End of Ukraine War

October 20, 2026 — President Donald Trump said Monday that it may be time for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to step aside from leading negotiations to end the war with Russia, escalating his weeks-long public clash with the Ukrainian leader.

"Maybe it's time for Zelenskiy to get somebody else to negotiate," Trump told reporters before departing the White House to campaign for the November 3 midterm congressional elections in Kansas. "Zelenskyy doesn't know what he's talking about. Zelenskyy is a man that should have had this war settled a long time ago."

Trump said Russia has been "fine" on Ukraine and "hasn't been doing much," while accusing Kyiv of mishandling the diplomatic track. He also said the United States continues to share intelligence with Ukraine and that he would consider allowing Ukrainians to stay in the US under temporary protected status until the war ends.

The remarks deepen the rift between Washington and Kyiv at a moment of acute tension: Zelensky was due in Oslo on Tuesday to meet US special envoy Steve Witkoff in an effort to repair ties that have deteriorated this month as Trump has openly courted Moscow. Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed that Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping hold a summit to decide Ukraine's fate — with Zelensky pointedly not invited.

Ukraine says it has received no early warning of recent Russian missile strikes, that US-ordered curbs on Starshield satellite links have disrupted its drone operations, and that air-defense systems paid for by European allies have not been delivered. In the latest attacks, Ukrainian officials said a Russian drone struck near a petrol station on a highway heading south of Kyiv, killing three people and setting cars ablaze.