Zelensky Tells NBC U.S. Siding With Putin Would Be a 'Historic Mistake' as Intelligence Sharing Resumes

Since Trump signed an executive order on Friday, Oct. 16, waiving the Russia sanctions law Congress passed with bipartisan support, the Ukraine-U.S. relationship has moved from public sniping to a concrete dispute over weapons, intelligence and money.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky laid out his side today, Oct. 18, on NBC's "Meet the Press." He said the U.S. formally siding with Vladimir Putin would be a "historic mistake."

"If these two countries will be together, of course, we will not prevail, and we will not be able to stand," he told moderator Kristen Welker.

'We want to trust him'

Zelensky did not write Trump off. "We want to trust him," he said. "I hope that he will change his decisions, because I think that it's all mistakes, and it will not help us, and it will not help United States."

He also said he felt betrayed last week. Asked whether that had changed, he said his feelings had not.

On Trump's line that he is "more difficult to deal with than Putin," Zelensky said he has been "very honest" with the president. "Maybe it's not very polite," he said, but it is "better to have partners who are very open and clear than to have those who are killers, even with a smile on their face."

The waiver and the diesel deal

Trump's order said the waiver "is in the national interests of the United States." The law, signed by Trump last month, was written to punish global buyers of Russian oil and gas. It also targeted Russia's energy and defense sectors, Putin personally and the shadow fleet of tankers Moscow uses to dodge Western sanctions. It is named for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham.

The waiver followed a deal Trump announced after speaking with Putin on Oct. 9. It lets hundreds of thousands of tons of Russian diesel reach the global market in exchange for eased sanctions. Trump has framed it as relief for soaring fuel prices.

Zelensky disputes that logic. He said the deal would not have "a real influence" on U.S. oil prices because the rise stems from the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, not Ukraine. He said it "will strengthen Putin in his will to occupy us." On Saturday he told reporters, "I believe the diesel deal is just the first step," and that he expects more sanctions to be lifted.

Trump's stated position is different. In a Newsmax interview aired Oct. 15, he said Ukrainian strikes on Russian diesel refineries only push up the world oil price. "I think that's a disgrace," he said. "There's plenty of other targets they don't have to hit." He also said Zelensky "is not a good guy for us to deal with" and that any settlement would not be done "with him."

Trump added that the war "should end soon" and that "I think they actually both would like to see it end."

Intelligence and Starlink

Zelensky said U.S. intelligence sharing was blocked for several days, leaving Ukraine without warning of incoming ballistic missiles. He said it has now been "deblocked" and that he is "very thankful."

Starlink is a different matter. Zelensky said restrictions on Starlink, which Ukraine uses to intercept jet-powered drones, remain, along with limits on Starshield, the military version. Ukrainian officials believe SpaceX's decision followed a "message from American government."

Asked whether Trump or Elon Musk made the call, he said he did not know but thought "both" were involved. If Trump lifted the restriction, he said, "it will immediately work as it was before."

The strikes keep coming

The fighting did not pause for diplomacy. Zelensky said Russia hit 15 power generation facilities across Ukraine on Friday, the same day as the waiver, in one of the largest attacks on the country's grid. One person was killed in Kherson and 22 wounded, including two children. Another person died in Sumy. Ukrainian officials said at least two people were killed in Russian air strikes on Saturday.

Zelensky said Russia is trying to leave millions without power and heat before winter.

On Sunday, Ukraine launched more than 1,000 drones across Russia. Fires broke out at the Petersburg Oil Terminal and the Ruchi oil depot in St. Petersburg. Gov. Alexander Beglov said one person was killed and five wounded. Ozon and VK confirmed that a logistics center and a data center, respectively, were also targeted.

The attack sits awkwardly beside Trump's complaint about Ukrainian refinery strikes. Trump had also announced an "energy ceasefire" on Oct. 11 and told both sides "not to break it." Zelensky said Russian strikes hit Ukrainian energy infrastructure the next day.

A stray drone over Lithuania

NATO jets were scrambled Sunday morning after an unidentified object appeared over Lithuania, and residents in central and northern areas were told to shelter for about an hour. The Lithuanian government said the object was likely a drone that entered from Poland.

Ukraine's foreign ministry said it "regrets" the possible diversion of its drones, which it said may have been caused by Russian electronic warfare. Neither the Lithuanian government nor Ukraine has said whose drone it was.

The Kremlin and Putin had not reacted to the waiver as of Saturday, though several Russian officials celebrated it as a win.

What comes next

Zelensky said he was due to speak by phone with U.S. negotiators later today and remains hopeful of an in-person meeting in the coming days. "I'm very open for this, even with all the difficult circumstances," he said. Whether the Starlink and Starshield limits stay in place, and whether Trump follows the diesel deal with further sanctions relief as Zelensky fears, are the open questions that meeting is likely to test.