What Russia's doing to Ukraine is 'fine,' Trump says

On Oct. 19, 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters that Russia has been “fine” in its conduct toward Ukraine and praised Vladimir Putin’s restraint, comments that came amid fresh deadly Russian attacks - a daytime drone strike in a public park that killed six people, including two children, and a separate barrage of ballistic missiles and strikes on nearly 30 critical energy facilities. Trump said he would consider a trilateral meeting with Putin and China’s Xi Jinping - ostensibly focused on nuclear disarmament - and downplayed both Russia’s and China’s roles in the conflicts, claiming they “haven’t been doing much” in Ukraine. He also suggested Ukraine should consider new negotiators, arguing the U.S. has done more for Kyiv than it has returned.

Those remarks accompany a broader shift in U.S. policy that critics say favors Moscow: Trump defended recent deals and sanctions waivers tied to a hostage-negotiation effort, claimed Russia has been “well-behaved” with respect to Iran despite widespread reporting and military confirmation that Russia supplies Tehran with weapons, and announced a plan to buy Russian diesel while ordering Ukraine to stop striking Russian refineries. Lawmakers from both parties blasted the moves as rewarding Moscow while it continues to attack Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, and reporting indicates Putin hopes any U.S.-Russia-China summit could secure a Moscow-favorable peace deal that would exclude Ukraine’s leaders.