US President Donald Trump said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy should be replaced as Ukraine’s negotiator, sharpening a dispute between Kyiv and Washington as officials prepare for another round of talks on Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Speaking outside the White House on Monday, Trump said Zelenskyy should have reached a settlement earlier and that it might be time for somebody else to negotiate for Ukraine, according to Al Jazeera’s report. The comments followed several days of Trump’s public criticism of the Ukrainian leader.
Zelenskyy, meanwhile, told US senators that weapons deliveries and intelligence support had been affected. He said the Pentagon was delaying delivery of missiles already paid for through the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List programme, and that European countries seeking to transfer Patriot interceptor missiles were awaiting US approval, Al Jazeera reported.
The extent of any intelligence restriction is disputed. Zelenskyy said in comments carried by PBS that US intelligence used for warnings of Russian ballistic-missile launches had been blocked for a period before being restored. Rubio denied there had been a pause, saying the United States had not restricted intelligence sharing, PBS NewsHour reported.
PBS also reported that Ukraine has faced speed limits on SpaceX services affecting some drone operations, while noting that Zelenskyy’s assertions about US support came amid Russian drone and missile attacks on Kyiv.
The public disagreement comes before discussions expected in Oslo this week. Al Jazeera, citing Reuters reporting, said Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff is due to travel to Norway and that Zelenskyy may attend alongside Norwegian, European Union and NATO representatives. The available reporting does not establish whether the alleged support delays will be resolved before those talks.