October 13, 2026
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, was showing a greater desire to end the war in Ukraine than Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, calling on Kiev to make redoubled efforts to reach a settlement, at a time when he avoided expressing any willingness to put additional pressure on Moscow despite the criticism directed at his approach.
In response to a journalist’s question about the continuation of Russian attacks on energy facilities despite the announcement of a ceasefire, Trump said: “I will have to look into the matter and verify it, because there are violations on both sides.” Regarding the mechanisms for persuading the Kremlin to adhere to the truce, he added: “I think that Putin wants to reach an agreement, and we have to make Zelensky want that as well.” Despite the continued attacks, the US President refrained from criticizing Moscow, stressing his conviction that the two sides would reach a settlement agreement.
On the other hand, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Washington, on Monday, to ensure that Russia adheres to the ceasefire announced by Trump, which is limited to targeting energy infrastructure. Zelensky said in a video speech to the Warsaw Security Forum: “We are waiting to see the specific steps that the Americans are preparing to take.”
Zelensky pointed out that Trump’s announcement, on Sunday, of an immediate cessation of attacks on the energy sector in the two countries came as a surprise to Kiev, which was not previously aware of the agreement that was published on social media platforms, pointing out that “immediately after the publication of the publication, Russia launched a deliberate attack on a power station in Kharkiv, which caused additional damage to the Ukrainian energy system.”
