Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday warned that the US formally siding with Russian President Vladimir Putin would be a "historic mistake," but said he still considers US President Donald Trump an ally.
"We want to trust him," he told NBC News' Meet the Press program. "I hope that he will change his decisions, because I think that it's all mistakes, and it will not help us, and it will not help the United States."
Trump on Friday waived sweeping new sanctions against Russia passed by Congress, saying in an executive order that the move "is in the national interests of the United States." The waiver came days after a deal with Putin to release hundreds of thousands of tons of Russian diesel fuel onto the global market as fuel prices soar.
Zelensky said US intelligence sharing was briefly "blocked," leaving Ukraine without information about incoming ballistic missiles. Restrictions have also been imposed on Starlink satelitte internet network, which is critical to intercepting jet-powered drones.
Zelensky said Ukrainian officials believe SpaceX's decision to limit Starlink was in response to a "message from American government."
He cited some progress after a multiday interruption to US intelligence, saying it had now been "deblocked."
The Ukrainian president added that restrictions remained on Ukraine's use of Starshield, the military version of Starlink.
Asked whether Trump or SpaceX CEO Elon Musk had directly made the decision, he said he did not know but thought "both" were involved. Zelensky said that if Trump decided tomorrow to lift the restriction, "it will immediately work as it was before."
Asked about Trump's remark that he was "more difficult to deal with than Putin," Zelensky said he had been "very honest" with the US president.
"Maybe it's not very polite," he said, but it is "better to have partners who are very open and clear than to have those who are killers, even with a smile on their face."
On the prospect of the US more formally siding with Russia, he said: "If these two countries will be together ... we will not prevail, and we will not be able to stand."
He expressed disappointment over the sanctions waiver, referring to legislation named for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, whom he called "a great supporter of peace and of Ukraine."
Zelensky said he was due to speak by phone with US negotiators later Sunday and remained hopeful of a meeting in the coming days. "I'm very open for this, even with all the difficult circumstances," he said.
