Zelensky smiles on being asked whether Trump is scapegoating him

Why This Matters

Key context: <p>BRUSSELS: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zele­­nsky gave a knowing smile and stayed mum on Friday when asked if the US president was scapegoating him for troubles in the US.</p> <p>“This is my answer,” Zelensky said, as journalists broke into laughter at a press conference in Brussels after he met EU leaders.</p> <figure class='media w-full w-full media-- media--embed ' data-original-src='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PICyyDIEB7g'> <div class='media__item media__item--youtube '><iframe src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/PICyyDIEB7g?enablejsapi=1&controls=1&modestbranding=1&rel=0' loading='lazy' allowfullscreen='' frameborder='0' scrolling='no' width='100%' height='100%'></iframe></div> </figure> <p>Zelensky had been asked if Donald Trump was lashing out at the Ukrainian leader as a way to deflect from his own political strife ahead of next month’s midterm elections as he is bogged down with Iran and diesel prices have soared.</p> <figure class='media w-full sm:w-1/2 media--right media--embed media--uneven' data-original-src='https://www.dawn.com/news/2037332'> <div class='media__item media__item--newskitlink '> <iframe class="nk-iframe" width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:250px;position:relative" src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/2037332" sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms"></iframe></div> </figure> <p>The question came after Trump said he found it easier to deal with Russian President Vla­dimir Putin than Zelensky as ties have soured with Kyiv.</p> <p>“Yesterday was a thousand drones in Ukraine, a thousand, but the American side said that it is difficult to speak with Zelensky, it’s less difficult to manage with Putin,” Zelensky said.</p> <p><em>Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2026</em></p> This development from dawn.com highlights ongoing changes in the sector.