Trump's Russia deals and Zelenskyy attacks push Ukraine and Europe to breaking point

In the space of days, the United States struck a diesel purchase deal with Russia, moved to ease years of sanctions, appeared to sidestep punitive legislation Trump had signed just one month earlier, and watched its special envoy publicly praise Vladimir Putin as a 'humanitarian' — hours before Russia launched ballistic missiles at Kyiv, some carrying cluster-munition warheads designed to maximise civilian casualties. For Ukraine and its European allies, the sequence has crossed from alarming into something harder to name.

This is all very disturbing. It's terrifying that you send two property dealers into a negotiation with Putin, where they decide they want to divide up a country.— Senior European official, speaking anonymously

The remark referred to US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner — both, like Trump, veterans of real estate — whose reported proposals to unfreeze Russian assets and restore Russian gas flows to Europe as peace-talk incentives have unsettled governments across the continent. European governments have rejected both ideas, according to Euronews.

Witkoff's description of Putin as a 'humanitarian' drew widespread condemnation. Moscow, for its part, took advantage of Washington's shifting stance to propose additional joint ventures and suggest a three-way summit among Putin, Trump, and Chinese President Xi Jinping — an encounter that would hand Putin the great-power recognition he has long pursued. Trump said he is on board, though he told reporters such a summit would focus on denuclearisation, not the war in Ukraine, according to Politico.

The conflict in Ukraine is coming to an end.— Vladimir Putin's top aide, to reporters

On the ground, Ukraine is feeling the pressure in concrete ways. According to Kyiv, Washington has held up deliveries of Patriot interceptor missiles paid for by European allies, cut off intelligence on incoming Russian ballistic missiles — though that early-warning system has since been restored — and curtailed access to Starlink satellite communications. After conducting what he described as a 'test,' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said speed restrictions on the satellite service were absent in other European countries, according to Politico. In the view of Ukrainian officials, the measures are designed to push Zelenskyy toward terms that would benefit Moscow. The White House has denied imposing restrictions for political reasons.

Czech President Petr Pavel said the US diesel deal with Russia gives Moscow 'new hope,' according to Politico. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned that 'Russia is not a trusted supplier of energy,' a pointed rebuke of any move to restore Russian gas flows to the continent.

American negotiators have been trying to push Ukraine into surrender for almost two years. Why Ukraine hasn't surrendered on Putin's terms is because Europe has been supporting Ukraine.— Kaja Kallas, EU foreign policy chief

Kallas made the remarks to the European Parliament, in what Euronews described as strikingly undiplomatic terms. They gave public voice to fears that have circulated in European capitals since Trump's re-election and are now sharpening: that in pursuit of a grand deal — Trump has been linked to ambitions for a Nobel Peace Prize nomination — the president could be prepared to trade away Ukraine's sovereignty.

Nobody can quite understand Trump's fascination with Putin. He elevates Putin to a point far beyond what he's entitled to — I mean Russia has an economy the size of Italy.— Senior European official, speaking anonymously

The US keeps trying to lure Putin with lucrative deals if he can just get the Ukraine problem out of the way. But Putin is already one of the richest men in the world. What he wants is to establish a greater Russia.— Senior European official, speaking anonymously

The current crisis has roots in November 2025, when a US-backed 28-point peace proposal — reportedly drafted in Moscow before being submitted to Washington — required Ukraine to give up territory, cap the size of its military, and abandon any future bid to join NATO. European governments quickly closed ranks to revise the proposals, warning they would leave Ukraine vulnerable to renewed Russian aggression. Since then, the divide has widened from the terms of a potential deal to the military capabilities Ukraine needs to defend itself.

A second European official, also speaking anonymously, tied Trump's pro-Russian stance to political pressures at home ahead of next month's US midterm elections, in which Republicans face the prospect of losing their majorities in both the House and the Senate as voter frustration mounts alongside inflation driven by high energy prices. Rather than accepting responsibility for rising energy costs, Trump has pointed to Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, even as energy experts identify his policy on Iran as the main driver of disruption in global oil markets, according to Euronews.

Until the midterms, it's hard to draw any firm conclusions from his statements. It feels like we need to hold our nerve until then. That's obviously much harder for Ukraine in practice. Still, I don't get the sense that they're on the verge of collapse.— Senior European official, speaking anonymously

European leaders appear to be recalibrating how they respond. Rather than scrambling to contain the fallout from each new development, EU leaders are learning to absorb Trump's provocations without public panic, according to Politico. But the underlying anxiety has not eased.

There's a clear feeling around the table that it is even more important to support Ukraine. Some optimists hope things will improve after the midterms, but I doubt it.— Senior European diplomat, speaking anonymously

For Europe, the deeper problem is structural. One senior official captured the mood this way: 'We are simply not built to operate in this kind of ruthless transactional environment.' Driven by growing concern over a wider confrontation with Russia, NATO allies have opened discussions on revised military requirements, according to Politico. Meanwhile, Brussels is also working to help meet Kyiv's rising costs as it heads into another winter and faces a cash crunch. Witkoff is scheduled to fly to Russia for further peace discussions, according to Politico — talks that European capitals are watching with mounting unease.

Why it matters — If Washington is actively tilting peace negotiations toward Moscow's terms — through deals, sanctions relief, and leverage over Ukraine's defences — the war's outcome and the future of European security could be shaped less by the battlefield than by decisions made in Washington and St. Petersburg.

Sources differ on Whether US restrictions on Starlink and weapons deliveries are politically motivated: Ukrainian officials believe the measures are intended to pressure Zelenskyy into accepting terms more favourable to Moscow. (euronews.com) vs The White House has denied imposing restrictions for political reasons. (euronews.com)

Reported by euronews.com, nytimes.com, politico.eu