Inside Story
US support at risk as Trump-Zelenskyy relations nosedive.
US President Donald Trump’s fractious relationship with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reached a new low before the US midterm elections.
The Ukrainian president has criticised an agreement between Washington and Moscow.
Trump has also attacked Zelenskyy for not abiding by an “energy ceasefire”, which he had unilaterally announced.
US military assistance has been critical for Ukraine’s defences in the war. And deteriorating relations between Trump and Zelenskyy pose a risk to that support.
Kyiv is increasingly relying on the European Union. Zelenskyy has asked Brussels for more air defences – but will the bloc come to his aid?
Presenter: James Bays
Guests:
Peter Zalmayev – Executive director of the Eurasia Democracy Initiative
Leonid Ragozinin – Independent journalist who specialises in Russia, Ukraine and Eastern Europe
Mykola Murskyj – Senior adviser at Razom, a US-based nonprofit organisation that supports Ukraine
Published On 17 Oct 2026