The new public clash between the presidents of Ukraine and the United States and the change in the American course regarding the conflict in Europe are the leading topic for the world press, BTA reported.
Great Britain
Donald Trump defended his decision to lift some of the sanctions against Russia, while at the same time again accusing Volodymyr Zelensky of not wanting the war to end, writes the British newspaper "The Guardian".
„My decision regarding Russia is quite simple. "I am currently negotiating peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine and I do not want to do anything that will recklessly push Russia away from the negotiating table," the US president wrote on his own social network Truth Social.
“Zelensky is not interested and, frankly, with all the money that Europe, as is known, gives him... he does not want this war to end and probably never did," the US president added. On Friday, he signed a decree temporarily suspending the entry into force of a large-scale new package of sanctions aimed at the Russian economy, the British edition recalls.
Yesterday, Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the Donald Trump administration for the resumption of intelligence sharing between the two countries, but at the same time stated that the US had deliberately restricted Ukraine's access to the Starlink satellite system so that Trump could send a “message” in his ongoing conflict with the Ukrainian president.
In an interview with NBC, Zelensky said the US had “unblocked” intelligence about upcoming Russian ballistic missile strikes that are wreaking havoc on the country’s energy infrastructure as winter approaches. “Only the US has this unique intelligence that allows us to be warned when Russia uses ballistic missiles. We didn’t get it during the three-day ballistic attacks.”
Limiting the speed at which Starlink terminals in Ukraine operate was also a message conveyed by SpaceX, he added. It has prevented the use of drones on the front lines and some air defense activities.
Two people were killed and at least 17 injured in the exchange of strikes between Russia and Ukraine targeting energy infrastructure after the collapse of an energy truce unilaterally announced by Trump. As America turns away from Ukraine, Europe is left alone, reads the headline of the British newspaper “The Economist“. But the Europeans cannot fully replace American support, and at the same time they are facing problems at home, the publication emphasizes.
Kirill Dmitriev, Russia's main negotiator with the United States on the issue of the war in Ukraine, has apparently been pleased with the developments of the past ten days, judging by his publications in Ex. He described Trump's latest clash with Ukraine and his rapprochement with Russia, especially the decision to lift sanctions against the purchase of Russian oil, as “a truly historic moment“. He said the violence that erupted this week on the streets of Paris and Milan shows how European citizens are turning against “warmongers.”
On October 16, Dmitriev reposted a meme about the new world order: an American eagle and a Russian bear together confronting a British lion in a dispute over the fate of a disintegrating European continent. And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky seems to share this vision: “If the United States sides with Russia... of course we will not prevail,” he told NBC yesterday.
At a summit in Brussels on October 16, Zelensky hailed the Europeans as “real leaders.” But they too are under increasing pressure: broadly united in their support for Ukraine, but at the same time worried about the prospect of a rupture in transatlantic relations and unable to compensate for the loss of American military and intelligence support. In addition, Europe faces increasingly bold Russian sabotage and intimidation in the so-called “gray zone“, growing fiscal pressure and an increasingly polarized domestic political environment, emphasizes “The Economist“.
USA
V. “The New York Times“ headlines Zelensky's claim that Trump risks making a “historical mistake“ if he supports Russia.
“If the United States supports Putin, it is unthinkable. It is a tragedy. "This is a historical mistake and a great tragedy," the Ukrainian president told NBC. "If the United States officially sides with Russia, if these two countries are together, then, of course, we will not prevail and we will not be able to resist," he added in his interview.
Zelensky accused Donald Trump of trying to force Kiev to capitulate to Russia, escalating a week-long dispute with his American counterpart, Bloomberg notes. The Ukrainian president also offered a new option for satisfying Trump's demand that Ukraine stop attacking Russian oil refineries in order to curb high diesel prices. In return, he demanded additional supplies of Patriot air defense systems.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a high-level meeting with his US and Chinese counterparts Donald Trump and Xi Jinping to discuss an agreement on Ukraine, the “Wall Street Journal“ reports. The Ukrainian president is not expected to be included in the proposed negotiating format at a time when the Russian leader is trying to negotiate an end to the war favorable to Moscow, the American publication notes.
France
Moscow is proposing a trilateral meeting to be held within the framework of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, scheduled for the middle of next month in China, the French newspaper “Le Monde“ indicates. The idea was raised by Vladimir Putin during his telephone conversation with Donald Trump on October 9. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a possible trilateral meeting is being discussed, but specified that “at this stage there is no specific agreement either on the meeting itself or on its possible content“.