President Volodymyr Zelensky met with members of the U.S. Congress via videoconference on Oct. 19 to discuss recent changes in American policy that have left Ukrainians baffled, anxious, and more vulnerable to Russian attacks.
The meeting, which included Democrats and Republicans from both the Senate and the House of Representatives, was organized by Senators Richard Blumenthal and Thom Tillis.
Zelensky briefed the legislators on Ukraine's current challenges, namely delayed deliveries of Patriot interceptors, ongoing restrictions to Starlink access for Ukrainian soldiers, and an abrupt end to warnings about Russian missile launches.
The president described the current predicament — which appears to stem from U.S. President Donald Trump's latest pro-Russian pivot — as "the most difficult situation since the very beginning of this war."
Zelensky highlighted Ukrainian forces' progress on the front lines, including the successes of the Operation Vivaldi counteroffensive in Donetsk Oblast. But then he described a cascade of disasters that "stand in sharp contrast to what we are achieving on the battlefield."
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Ukraine's Starlink/Starshield service is still operating under a speed cap that has disrupted the military's ability to launch mid-range drone strikes and intercept Russia's deadly, high-speed jet drones.
"(You) need to understand how serious this is. ... Russia's attacks have become even more vicious and dirty," Zelensky told the assembled lawmakers.
"There is hardly an hour when Russia isn't attacking somewhere or hitting something. And this happens every single day."
Zelensky also stressed the lack of early warnings from U.S. partners regarding Russian missile strikes, saying that there had been three separate attacks in recent days where Ukraine received no advance notice — and "no explanation" after the fact.
The Pentagon is also refusing to approve the transfer of Patriot missiles from Europe to Ukraine, even though these weapons have already been paid for through the U.S.-NATO PURL program, Zelensky said.
Ukraine desperately needs to replenish its supply of U.S.-made Patriots, the only interceptors that can reliably shoot down Russian ballistic missiles. But Zelensky said Washington was withholding approval without explanation.
The president also shared that Ukraine had proposed a 30-day moratorium on Russian refinery attacks in exchange for Patriot supplies. Neither the U.S. nor Russia showed any interest, he said.
"All of this suggests that some political decision has been made to slow down support for us. ... We want to understand what is happening, why it's happening, and where all of this is heading," he said.
In the weeks leading up to the U.S. midterm elections on Nov. 3, U.S. President Donald Trump has made a hard turn on Ukraine — after months of ignoring the Kyiv-Moscow peace process while busy in the Middle East, Trump decided to focus on Ukraine again.
But instead of condemning Russia's assault on energy infrastructure or relentless ballistic missile attacks on civilian targets, Trump decided to blame Ukraine — and Zelensky — for rising fuel prices.
Trump on Oct. 9 announced a deal to purchase Russian diesel, kicking off the series of blows to Ukraine that Zelensky detailed to lawmakers. The diesel announcement was followed by pressure on Ukraine to stop attacking Russian oil assets, a sanctions waiver for Russia, and the restriction on Starlink.
The White House has denied ordering restrictions on Starshield or deliberately withholding information about Russian missile strikes. The administration has also defended the diesel deal despite widespread bipartisan backlash.
Speaking to reporters on Oct. 19, Trump said that Russia "hasn't been doing very much" in Ukraine lately.
"Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine," he said.