Zelenskyy says it's Putin who wants an endless war, not him
Ukraine's leader rejects Trump's accusations, says Putin is refusing peace, not him, and the U.S. military is delaying "vital supplies."
Key points
- Zelenskyy said Russia struck Ukraine overnight and that Kyiv received no warning from partners.
- Trump accused Zelenskyy of not wanting to end the war, while Zelenskyy blamed Putin.
- Ukraine says it still lacks confirmation that Starlink and Starshield service has been restored.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that Russia carried out another night of missile and drone strikes on Ukraine, and that there was "no warning from partners" beforehand. He said the strikes hit energy and other infrastructure, as well as a medical clinic, a school, a metro station and residential buildings.
Zelenskyy's statement came amid growing tension with U.S. President Donald Trump, who said over the weekend that Zelenskyy does not want the war to end. Zelenskyy responded that it is Russian President Vladimir Putin who wants the war to continue.
Dispute over Starlink and supplies
Zelenskyy said Saturday that Ukraine still cannot use Starshield, a military version of Elon Musk's Starlink satellite network, to intercept Russian drones. He also said Monday that there had been "delays in certain types of vital supplies" at the level of the U.S. Department of War, without giving details.
The Trump administration has denied changing intelligence sharing with Ukraine or slowing Starshield data. A senior Pentagon official told CBS News there had been no change to Department of War policy on intelligence sharing or capabilities enabled for Europeans to provide to Ukraine. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said any Starlink slowdown "wasn't deliberate" and that service had been restored.
Denys Sienik, Ukraine's chargé d'affaires in the U.S., said Ukraine had not received a response from the Pentagon or SpaceX about Starlink or Starshield, including confirmation that unlimited speeds were restored.
Putin does not want the end of this war, or even any de-escalation steps
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Trump and Putin statements
In a Truth Social post, Trump said Zelenskyy "doesn't want to end this war, and probably never did," and argued Ukraine's position had worsened. Zelenskyy said Ukraine had responded positively to every attempt by partners to end the war with dignity, and that Russia answered diplomacy with new attacks.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow values U.S. mediation but that agreements are impossible without Kyiv's participation. The Wall Street Journal reported that Putin proposed a meeting of U.S., Chinese and Russian officials on the Ukraine war without a seat for Ukraine, an idea raised in an Oct. 9 call with Trump. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said such a trilateral meeting would only encourage Putin to continue the war.
