Zelensky lobbies senators to press White House on alleged intel and weapons curbs

Axios · 10/19/2026, 9:27:37 PM

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday lobbied a bipartisan group of senators to press the Trump administration to remove what he claimed are restrictions on intelligence sharing and weapons supplies. Why it matters: Ukrainian officials say the Trump administration has quietly imposed these limits without admitting it publicly in an attempt to press Zelensky to accept a deal to end the war that includes more concessions to Russia. Trump and White House officials have denied for days that they've imposed any restrictions on Ukraine. Driving the news: The crisis began 10 days ago when Trump announced a diesel deal with Russia during a round of negotiations between his envoys and Ukrainian officials in Miami. The Ukrainians claimed that Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner threatened that Trump could cut off Ukraine from U.S. intelligence and stop selling weapons if it continued to ignore requests not to target Russian oil refineries . U.S. officials denied such a threat. They said Witkoff and Kushner told the Ukrainians that the U.S. was a strong partner, providing munitions and intelligence. Ukraine therefore shouldn't take actions that hurt American consumers, Witkoff and Kushner said. Behind the scenes: During a virtual meeting with a bipartisan group of senators led by Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Zelensky laid out the various problems Ukraine has been experiencing since the Miami meeting. Axios obtained a transcript from Ukrainian officials. Elon Musk's Starlink and the U.S. military's Starshield satellite systems remain partially restricted — despite claims by the White House to the contrary. "We still have no explanation for this. Just different strange stories we're hearing, unfortunately," Zelensky told the senators. It's hampering Ukraine's ability to shoot down Russian attack drones, he added. On three occasions the past week, including on Sunday, Ukraine didn't receive early warnings from the U.S. about Russian b