ZELENSKY: TRUMP IS PRESSURING UKRAINE TO CAPITULATE

KYIV, OCTOBER 18 /SRNA/ - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused US President Donald Trump of trying to pressure Kyiv into surrendering to Russia, further escalating a dispute with the US president that has been going on for several days, Bloomberg reported.

According to the outlet, Zelensky put forward a new proposal under which he would accept Trump’s demand that Ukraine stop attacking Russian oil refineries in exchange for additional deliveries of missiles for Patriot air defence systems.

He accused Trump of seeking, ahead of the US midterm elections scheduled for November 3, to pressure Kyiv into refraining from attacking Russian energy facilities, warning that if Ukraine did attack them, Trump would withhold something else from Ukraine.

Zelensky had earlier sharply criticized Trump over his deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to supply diesel fuel to the US and global markets, and described the US decision to suspend intelligence support for Ukraine as “dangerous.”

Trump responded by saying that Zelensky was an obstacle to ending the conflict in Ukraine.