Is This the Breaking Point for Trump and Zelensky?
Where the two presidents’ war of words will end is anybody’s guess. But if it continues, it could threaten the crucial operational help that Ukraine still gets from the United States. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida in December. Credit... Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times By Kim Barker Reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine The New York Times Oct. 16, 2026, 11:02 a.m. ET This time, the rupture feels real. President Trump has long made no secret of his disdain for President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and his affinity with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. But Mr. Zelensky has always managed to hold on to some form of American support against Russia, going along with fruitless U.S.-led peace talks and heaping thanks and flattery on Mr. Trump for his “strong leadership.” Now, in the run-up to midterm elections seen as a referendum on Mr. Trump’s presidency, their relationship seems close to a breaking point. The split poses ris...