US President Donald Trump has offered a startling assessment of Russia’s war against Ukraine, declaring that Moscow “has been fine on Ukraine” even as Russian strikes killed civilians and battered critical infrastructure, raising fresh questions over Washington’s approach to Vladimir Putin.
“Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine. They haven’t been doing much,” Trump told reporters on October 19.
The remarks came on the same day a Russian daytime drone strike in a public park in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region killed six people, including two children. The previous night, Russian forces had launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles at Kyiv and struck nearly 30 critical energy facilities across the country, according to Ukrainian officials.
Yet Trump offered no comparable condemnation of those attacks in his remarks. Instead, he praised what he described as Putin’s restraint, both in Ukraine and in the widening conflict involving Iran.
The contrast was stark: while Ukrainians faced renewed attacks, the US president appeared to frame Moscow’s conduct as evidence of moderation rather than aggression.
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Trump’s comments also revived concerns over the possibility of a diplomatic settlement shaped around the interests of Washington and Moscow, potentially leaving Ukraine with limited influence over decisions affecting its future.
Asked whether he would consider a trilateral meeting with Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump said he was open to the idea, but indicated its principal purpose would be nuclear disarmament rather than resolving the war in Ukraine.
The discussion followed reports that Putin wanted a summit involving Trump and Xi, without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, to help secure a settlement favourable to Moscow.
Trump also praised Beijing’s approach, saying Xi had “been very fair with Ukraine” and “hasn’t been much involved, and same with Russia”.
“They haven’t been nearly what they could have been, and I appreciate that,” he added, without making clear whether he was referring to China’s support for Russia or Moscow’s conduct in Ukraine.
The president defended his dealings with the Kremlin, including sanctions waivers, saying Washington was negotiating with Russia over the release of a high-profile hostage. He also described Moscow as “very well-behaved on Iran”.
“We also have a very good situation with respect to Iran. (Putin’s) laying off Iran,” Trump said.
“It’s nice because we’re hitting Iran very hard, as you know, economically as well as militarily, and Russia’s done nothing there that we can see, and I think that’s a very positive.”
That assessment sits uneasily alongside reports that Russia has supplied Iran with drone components and ammunition, assisted its missile development and shared intelligence that could help Tehran target US bases in the Middle East. General Dan Caine, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, has also confirmed Russian support for Iran.
The contrast is particularly striking because Ukraine has sent specialists to help Gulf states counter Iranian drones, while Putin has pledged support and supplies to Tehran.
Despite these competing accounts, Trump again turned his criticism towards Kyiv, suggesting Ukraine should consider appointing someone else to negotiate on its behalf.
“We’ve given a lot to Ukraine. They’ve given nothing to us,” he said.
For Kyiv, the danger is not simply the language used by the US president. It is the possibility that a peace process increasingly shaped by Washington and Moscow could place pressure on Ukraine to accept terms determined without its full participation.
As Russian attacks continue, Trump’s description of Moscow as restrained exposes a profound divide between the administration’s public assessment of Putin and the reality Ukraine says it faces on the battlefield. The question hanging over any prospective settlement is whether the pursuit of a deal will bring the war closer to an end—or leave the country under pressure to concede more than it can safely afford.
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