Zelensky: Trump can't force Putin to end the war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Donald Trump has good relations with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin but currently cannot force him to stop the war against Ukraine. Kyiv hopes political tensions with Washington will ease after the US midterm elections. In a Bloomberg interview on October 18, Zelensky said politics is very aggressive during elections, calling the current period "agony," but believes life will become calmer afterward. He stressed Ukraine must respond to risks before they escalate into a full-scale crisis, noting more is at stake than a diesel fuel deal. Zelensky said he will likely meet again this week with US special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. This follows recent tensions, including Trump's October 10 criticism of Zelensky, an announced energy ceasefire that Ukraine said it knew nothing about, and US threats to suspend intelligence sharing over Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries.