President Donald Trump fired back at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday, Oct. 19, after a reporter told him Zelensky had said he was on the wrong side of history. "Zelensky doesn't know what he's talking about," Trump replied, adding that Zelensky should have settled the war a long time ago. He then said he thinks it is time for "somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine." Trump argued that very little land has changed hands while a huge number of people, which he put at around a million, have died. Reports say he also claimed Zelensky does not want to end the war, though Zelensky has said he is not willing to hand over territory.

The exchange follows a week of rising tension between Washington and Kyiv. On Oct. 18, Zelensky told Bloomberg that recent US moves were pressuring Ukraine to give in to Russia, pointing to limits on Starlink operations and delays in Patriot missile deliveries that European allies had already paid for. That came after Trump waived a set of new sanctions and tariffs targeting Russia on Oct. 16 and struck a diesel deal with Putin to ease soaring fuel prices. Trump has also said Russia has been "fine" on Ukraine and that he would meet Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping even without Zelensky in the room. Kyiv-aligned outlets say his remarks echo Kremlin talking points, while Trump presents his approach as a way to stop the killing. Who would take Zelensky's place at the table, and whether Kyiv would accept that, are still wide open questions.