Donald takes out political frustrations on Zelensky, Ukraine

Washington (AFP) — With the United States President’s surprise deal on Russian diesel and his call for Volodymyr Zelensky to step down, Donald Trump appears to be redirecting the frustrations of his increasingly difficult midterm campaign.

It would not be the first time Trump has heaped criticism on his Ukrainian counterpart, who endured a memorably stormy on-camera meeting in the Oval Office in February 2025.

But back then, the US president was riding the momentum of a thunderous return to power. Now, he faces a much more uncertain political position.

The vast majority of polls predict Trump’s Republicans will lose control of Congress in the midterm legislative elections on 3 November, as Americans grow more dissatisfied with rising prices, particularly at the gas pump.

In an opinion survey published 1 October, the Associated Press and University of Chicago found that 65 percent of US adults blame the White House for the high cost of living, especially Trump’s tariff policies and his new war against Iran.

The threat of Americans voting with their pocketbook helps explain Trump’s Friday announcement that he will lift certain sanctions to allow Russian diesel imports, supposedly to ease prices.

Trump has said his goal is to reduce pressure on the sectors that backed him in large numbers in 2024, such as agriculture, livestock farming and road transport.

“President Trump, despite his claim to the contrary, I think, is acutely aware that the American public is holding him responsible for the significant rise in prices, including for diesel,” Garret Martin, a professor of international relations at American University, told AFP.

“He knows that he only has a few weeks to try and change the narrative about these rising costs. So I think that’s the main factor for this timing.”

That aligns with British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting’s assessment during a Sunday interview with Sky News.