US President Donald Trump has defended his decision to waive sanctions on Russia, saying he wants to keep Moscow at the negotiating table, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky does not want to end the war.

“My decision on Russia is a very simple one. I am in the process of negotiating Peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and don’t want to do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table,” he said on Truth Social on Sunday.

Trump added that Zelensky does not want the war on his country to end, saying on Truth Social that Kiev was launching attacks on diesel refineries in Russia despite knowing it was “seriously hurting the world diesel markets.”

“Zelenskyy doesn’t care, and frankly, with all of the money that Europe is famously giving him… he doesn’t want to end this war, and probably never did,” Trump wrote.

Trump announced plans on October 9 for Russia to supply more than 300,000 metric tonnes of diesel to US and global markets to tackle fuel prices that have soared since the US and the Israeli regime launched war on Iran in late February.

The move led Tehran to effectively close the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of global energy exports transited before the war.

Zelensky, however, decried the move as a “financial reward for Putin.”

He claimed selling more energy commodities will add to Russian financial gain and will boost Moscow's economy, encouraging the Kremlin to continue fighting with Ukraine.

Zelensky said on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday that Trump's diesel fuel deal with Putin “will hurt Ukraine.”

He added that the deal will hinder his attempts to end the war, while strengthening the Russian side to continue its special military campaign in eastern Ukraine launched in 2022.

US midterm elections: Trump’s wars, rising costs and voter backlash threaten Republican control of US Congress

The November 2026 US midterms could weaken Trump’s presidential powers as economic dissatisfaction, unpopular wars abroad, and declining minority support threaten Republican control of Congress and intensify Democratic oversight.

Trump and the Republican Party, which currently controls Congress, remain under heavy pressure from surging energy prices and the rising cost of living—a crisis exacerbated daily by the ongoing war on Iran while the November 3 midterm elections are approaching.

Polls indicate there has been growing dissatisfaction with Trump’s policies and performance.

More and more Americans are now asking whether the Trump administration is pursuing the right policies, and if so, is it pursuing these policies in the right way.