Trump: Putin Wants Ukraine Deal, Praises Russian Oil Supplies

US President Donald Trump said that Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed a strong desire to reach a settlement to conclude the war in Ukraine during a telephone conversation between the two leaders on Friday. Speaking to journalists on Saturday, Oct. 10, Trump stated that Moscow is seeking a negotiated outcome, while asserting that President Volodymyr Zelensky has been unwilling to finalize an agreement.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “I think that Russia would like to make a deal, and we’ve had it back and forth, but Russia would like to make a deal,” Trump told reporters. “This is something that could have been solved many times, but for whatever reason, Zelensky does not want to make a deal.” Asked specifically what Putin communicated during their bilateral call, Trump stated that the Russian leader expressed a commitment to ending hostilities. “He’d like to see a settlement. President Putin would like to see a settlement strongly,” Trump said. Trump also commended Putin for releasing Russian oil onto international markets, describing the shipments as a positive contribution to lowering global energy costs. “And look, he is freeing up a lot of oil for the world, okay? A good thing,” Trump added. “And by the way, at a very low price.” Calls for Ukrainian political change Trump’s remarks to reporters followed his announcement on Friday of a bilateral commercial diesel agreement reached with Moscow, under which Russia agreed to deliver over 1 million metric tons of diesel fuel to American and international buyers through 2027. Other Topics of Interest US Lawmakers Draft Bill to Block Russian Oil Purchases US Representatives Fitzpatrick and Bacon lead a bipartisan push to bar Russian oil purchases, breaking with Trump’s diesel waiver. Speaking roughly a month ahead of the US midterm elections as retail diesel prices in the US approached $6 per gallon, Trump reiterated sharp criticism of Zelensky, accusing the Ukrainian leadership of compounding energy pressures for American farmers and transportation networks through deep-interdiction strikes against Russian oil refineries. “He wants to make problems for the world, for our farmers with diesel,” Trump said. “Zelensky could have settled this war many, many times, but he chooses not to. I think it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president.” The US president’s calls for a leadership transition in Kyiv drew a rebuttal from Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, who affirmed on Sunday that only the Ukrainian electorate holds the legal and sovereign authority to determine national governance during wartime. Sybiha stated that external criticism only demonstrates that Zelensky is performing his duties effectively, emphasizing that the Ukrainian head of state retains broad public support. To facilitate the Russian fuel shipments, the US Treasury Department issued a temporary general license authorizing transactions involving Russian diesel through April 7, 2027. The waiver was granted three weeks after Trump signed into law the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which established mandatory statutory sanctions and tariffs on purchases of Russian petroleum. The agreement was announced while Ukrainian negotiators were engaged in multilateral consultations with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Miami. Zelensky described the Miami talks as a “smokescreen” for bilateral economic concessions to the Kremlin, noting that granting Moscow market access generates revenues that sustain Russian military operations. Under the administration’s proposed diplomatic framework, Washington has asked Kyiv to halt drone attacks on Russian refineries to stabilize energy benchmarks. However, the proposal does not include a binding condition requiring the Russian military to suspend missile and drone strikes against Ukraine’s power and heating infrastructure. Ukrainian officials have stated that Kyiv will not suspend its asymmetric interdiction campaign against Russian refining installations without an enforceable, mutual energy ceasefire that protects Ukrainian utilities ahead of winter. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.