Zelensky tells Corriere della Sera US restrictions are "real" and "unfair", then holds "substantive" call with Rubio

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Italy’s Corriere della Sera, in an interview published on Tuesday 20 October, that limits on US intelligence sharing and a reduction in Starlink speeds were “no longer mere threats, but a reality”. “It is unfair to us,” he said, adding that Ukraine remained grateful to the American people and “Trump’s team”, but that “there must be honesty between partners”.

Mr Zelensky said he had told President Donald Trump that if Washington could not stop Vladimir Putin, it should “at least give us the interceptors” to protect energy infrastructure, but that the missiles had not been provided. He said he was ready to meet Mr Trump’s negotiators, “perhaps as early as this week”. On Mr Putin’s proposed summit with Mr Trump and Xi Jinping, he said “Putin’s gradual emergence from isolation has already begun”. He said open elections could not be held “under drones and missiles”, and that it was for Ukrainians to choose their president.

Later on Tuesday, Mr Zelensky wrote on X at 6:44am GMT that he had a “substantive conversation” with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on ballistic missile interceptors, early warning of Russian attacks and Starlink and Starshield, and that they agreed to speak again soon. EFE said it was the first publicly reported high-level contact since Kyiv said it had stopped receiving some US missile-launch intelligence. Mr Rubio has denied any cut-off in intelligence sharing.

Background: Mr Zelensky is due in Oslo on Tuesday for talks with US envoy Steve Witkoff and the leaders of Norway and Finland. See his Bloomberg interview, Mr Rubio’s denial and the Oslo talks.