# Trump-Zelenskiy rift threatens Kyiv's vital support > Trump threatens Ukraine's military aid as US-Russia energy deal risks war escalation. - Title: Trump-Zelenskiy rift threatens Kyiv's vital support · Dawn - Summary: Trump threatens Ukraine's military aid as US-Russia energy deal risks war escalation. Trump's waiver of sanctions on Russian energy could fuel Russia's… - Keywords: trump, zelensky, ukraine, russia, energy, sanctions, military aid, intelligence, starlink, news, politics, Trump-Zelenskiy - Source: Dawn — https://dawn.com/news/2037860/trump-zelenskiy-rift-threatens-vital-support-for-kyiv - Author: Reuters - Published: 2026-10-17T17:37:57+00:00 - Read time: 1 min - Topics: trump, zelensky, ukraine, us, russia, energy, sanctions, military aid, intelligence, starlink, news, politics ## Trump-Zelenskiy rift threatens Kyiv Trump threatens to cut intelligence support for Ukraine as energy costs rise from Russian strikes. > a disruption of us-provided satellite internet services raised fears that ukraine could be vulnerable as it prepares for another winter of russian attacks on its energy infrastructure ## Zelensky defies Trump on energy targets Ukraine vows to continue striking russian energy targets despite trump's demands. > ukraine would defy trump's demand to stop striking russian energy targets, citing russia's continued attacks ## Trump waives key sanctions Trump cancels russian energy sanctions under the graham act before they take effect. > in an executive order released by the white house on friday, trump also waived key russia-related us sanctions and tariffs shortly before they were supposed to take effect under the graham act ## Zelensky warns of russian escalation Zelensky says trump's actions encourage russia to continue attacks on ukraine. > a us sanctions blackout, easing pressure on the aggressor, financial rewards for putin all of this only encourages him to keep attacking ## Starshield service disrupted Ukraine's military satellite internet service faces disruption from us government order. > ukraine's starshield system, the military-grade version of spacex's starlink service, was disrupted after what two us officials and a western official briefed on the matter said was an order originating from the white house ## Trump's energy deal with russia Trump reaches deal with putin to lift russian fuel sanctions temporarily. > trump said on october 9 he had reached a deal with putin to temporarily lift sanctions on russian fuel and import russian diesel ## High stakes for ukraine Ukraine faces risks without us intelligence for russian missile defense. > without us intelligence, ukraine could face greater difficulty detecting and countering russian missile and drone attacks, particularly against energy infrastructure that moscow has repeatedly targeted during previous winters ## Zelensky seeks continued talks Ukraine wants to continue dialogue with trump's envoys despite tensions. > despite zelensky's remarks, kyiv wants to continue dialogue with trump's envoys, his friend steve witkoff and son-in-law jared kushner, two ukrainian officials familiar with the talks said, speaking on the condition of anonymity ## Trump's midterm election concerns Trump's energy policy risks losing congressional majorities in november. > high gasoline and diesel prices are a political headache for trump ahead of november's midterm elections, in which his republican party could lose its majorities in the us congress, according to analysts ## Former official warns of war risks Former state official says us shift away from ukraine worsens war prospects. > it's not only a missed opportunity, it causes genuine suffering in ukraine and encourages putin to continue the war, so it's not cost-free ## Trump and zelensky relationship Trump and zelensky have long-standing tensions in us-russia relations. > trump and us vice president jd vance publicly upbraided zelensky during an oval office meeting in february 2025 ## Ukraine's energy vulnerability Ukraine's energy infrastructure faces russian attacks without us intelligence. > without us intelligence, ukraine could face greater difficulty detecting and countering russian missile and drone attacks, particularly against energy infrastructure that moscow has repeatedly targeted during previous winters ## Zelensky's strategic gamble Zelensky bets on post-election political shifts to protect ukraine. > zelensky knows who he's dealing with, and trump's threats don't have the same kind of effect as they did when jd vance tried to shame him in the oval office ## Trump's intelligence claims Trump says us still shares intelligence with ukraine despite zelensky's warnings. > trump has said the us is still sharing intelligence with ukraine. but zelensky told npr that us officials had warned ukrainian commanders that intelligence could be reduced or cut off ## Ukraine's military strategy Ukraine continues strikes on russian energy targets to counter russian aggression. > ukraine would defy trump's demand to stop striking russian energy targets, citing russia's continued attacks ## Potential consequences Trump could restrict weapons or intelligence support for ukraine. > trump could yet restrict the supply of weapons to ukraine, follow through on threats to stop sharing battlefield intelligence, or strike more economic deals with moscow ## Key takeaway Trump's waiver of sanctions on Russian energy could fuel Russia's attacks on Ukraine while Zelensky vows to continue striking Russian energy targets.