U.S. President Trump posted on Truth Social local time on the 18th, saying he is mediating peace between Russia and Ukraine and has "made major progress"; at the same time he aimed his criticism at Ukrainian President Zelensky, saying he "doesn't care" and "doesn't want to end this war, and probably never did."
Trump defended shelving new sanctions on Russia, saying he does not want to "foolishly" push Russia away from the negotiating table. He criticized the Ukrainian military for striking Russian diesel refineries, saying this severely hurts the global diesel market, including that of the United States; he also praised Russia for supplying diesel to the world at low prices. According to him, Moscow has agreed to supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, another 500,000 tons in November, and then another 1 million tons.
Zelensky spoke by phone the same day with U.S. special envoy Witkoff and Kushner, saying that "a lot depends" on the U.S. position, and that Ukraine is willing to promote peace "constructively" and "honestly." He told NBC that if Washington publicly sides with Russia it would be a "historic mistake," and expressed hope that Trump will "change his decision"; at the same time he thanked the U.S. for resuming intelligence sharing with Ukraine.