--- title: "Trump criticises Zelensky, questions Ukraine's peace efforts" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-criticises-zelensky-questions-ukraines-peace-efforts" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/trump-criticises-zelensky-questions-ukraines-peace-efforts" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-criticises-zelensky-questions-ukraines-peace-efforts.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/trump-criticises-zelensky-questions-ukraines-peace-efforts" category: "Politics" area: "Ukraine" published: "2026-10-16T03:05:15.205Z" source_reported: "2026-10-16T02:25:00.000Z" updated: "2026-10-16T03:05:15.205Z" trust_score: 76 critic_score: 87 hype_score: 15 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-10-16T03:57:35.091Z" --- # Trump criticises Zelensky, questions Ukraine's peace efforts *Former US president says Ukrainian leader is not a good person to deal with and questions his desire for peace.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 76 of 100, higher is better. Multiple independent full reports name Trump and Zelensky, give dates and a specific 290 km location, meeting trust criteria. - Craft 87 of 100, higher is better. The reports explain why Trump’s remarks matter, quote both leaders, and provide dates, names and a 290 km detail. - Hype 15 of 100, lower is better. The language is measured; no sensational adjectives or click‑bait headlines exceed the article content. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Donald Trump stated in a Newsmax interview that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is "not a good guy for us to deal with." - Trump questioned Zelensky's desire for peace, claiming he says he wants to settle the war but does not. - The comments followed Ukraine's resumption of strikes against Russian oil refineries. - Trump also suggested that negotiations would be easier with Vladimir Putin than with Zelensky. Donald Trump has criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, stating he is "not a good guy for us to deal with" and questioning his willingness to end the Russia-Ukraine war. Trump's comments, made in an interview with Newsmax on October 15, came after Ukraine resumed strikes against Russian oil refineries. Trump told Newsmax that Zelensky "says he wants to settle, but he doesn't" and that he was "not a big fan" of the Ukrainian president. He also suggested that negotiations would be easier with Russian President Vladimir Putin than with Zelensky, whom he described as difficult to deal with. ## Disagreement on Zelensky's desire for peace Donald Trump stated that Volodymyr Zelensky does not want to end the Russia-Ukraine war, according to reports from The Kyiv Independent and fakti.bg. The Kyiv Independent reported Trump saying, "He says he wants to settle, but he doesn't." fakti.bg reported Trump as stating that Zelensky "claims to want peace, but in practice does not want to reach an agreement." ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated digests mention that Volodymyr Zelensky lifted restrictions on Ukrainian strikes against Russian oil refineries on October 15, a fact reported by The Kyiv Independent. ## Who covered it Shares of the 11 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 18% (2) - Centre: 27% (3) - Right: 55% (6) 7 of 18 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-10-16T03:57:35.091Z. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 4 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-10-16T04:00:50.622Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The single left-rated report, from fakti.bg, led on Trump's call for elections in Ukraine and his belief that Zelensky does not want peace. It quoted Trump saying, "Zelensky is not a good person for us to work with," and that he finds negotiations with Zelensky harder than with Putin. The report also noted Trump's criticism of Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, stating they contribute to rising global energy prices. It mentioned Zelensky's feeling of betrayal by Trump and his dissatisfaction with restrictions on intelligence sharing and Starlink access. ### Centre - The centre-rated report from The Kyiv Independent focused on Donald Trump's criticism of Volodymyr Zelensky, quoting him as saying, "I'm not a big fan of Zelensky" and "Zelensky's not a good guy for us to deal with." The report highlighted that Trump questioned Zelensky's desire to end the war and mentioned Zelensky's statement that he felt betrayed by Trump. It also noted that Zelensky had lifted restrictions on Ukrainian strikes against Russian oil refineries on October 15, the same day Trump's interview was published. ### Right - The four right-rated reports from Next News Network, vz.ru, Korrespondent.net, and news-pravda.com all led on Donald Trump's statement that Volodymyr Zelensky is "not a good guy" to deal with and questioned his readiness for a peace settlement. vz.ru referred to Zelensky as the "head of the Kiev regime" and stated Trump was dissatisfied with Zelensky's actions regarding attacks on Russia's oil infrastructure. news-pravda.com also used the phrase "head of the Kiev regime" and quoted Trump saying, "I'm not a big fan of Zelensky." **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - veryLow: 1 - low: 1 - mixed: 5 - high: 3 - unknown: 7 - veryHigh: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [INTELLINEWS](https://intelli.news/2026/10/16/trump-hits-back-at-zelensky-and-brands-him-not-a-good-guy-in-blistering-attack) — Trump hits back at Zelensky and brands him ‘not a good guy’ in blistering attack - [Hindustan Times](https://hindustantimes.com/world-news/trump-calls-zelensky-not-a-good-guy-says-ukraine-president-harder-to-deal-with-than-putin-101792117296784.html) — Trump calls Zelensky ‘not a good guy’, says Ukraine President harder to deal with than Putin - [noticiaslatam.lat](https://noticiaslatam.lat/20261016/zelenski-no-es-un-buen-tipo-con-el-que-lidiar-dice-trump-1175460463.html) — "Zelenski Is Not a Good Guy to Deal with," Trump Says. - [TUOI TRE ONLINE](https://tuoitre.vn/ong-trump-toi-thay-kho-dam-phan-voi-ong-zelensky-100261016092832701.htm) — Trump: 'I Find It Difficult to Negotiate with Zelensky' - [pmo.ee](https://pmo.ee/8565583) — Trump Says He's Not a Big Fan of Zelensky - [Washington Examiner](https://washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house/4768351/trump-not-a-big-fan-zelensky-russia-oil-strikes) — Trump 'not a big fan' of Zelensky after new strikes on Russian oil refineries - [Unknown](https://glavcom.ua/world/world-politics/zelenskij-ne-ta-ljudina-z-jakoju-nam-dobre-mati-spravu-tramp-1149479.html) — “Zelensky Is Not the Kind of Person We Are Good to Deal with”: Trump - [Rzeczpospolita](https://rp.pl/dyplomacja/art45344781-donald-trump-nie-jestem-fanem-wolodymyra-zelenskiego-z-wladimirem-putinem-rozmawia-sie-latwiej) — Donald Trump: I'm Not a Fan of Volodymyr Zelensky. Vladimir Putin Is Easier to Talk To - [Daily Express](https://express.co.uk/news/politics/2257691/donald-trump-hits-out-zelensky) — Trump hits back at Zelensky and brands him 'not a good guy' in ... - [Next News Network](https://nextnewsnetwork.com/2026/10/16/trump-zelensky-not-a-good-guy-to-deal-with-will-not-settle-42719515) — Trump: Zelensky 'Not a Good Guy' to Deal With, Will Not Settle - [Daily Mirror](https://mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/trump-and-zelensky-blistering-attack-37778195) — Trump hits back at Zelensky and brands him 'not a good guy' in blistering attack - [vz.ru](https://vz.ru/news/2026/10/16/1463575.html) — Trump Accused Zelensky of Not Wanting to End the Conflict. - [Korrespondent.net](https://korrespondent.net/world/worldabus/4920572-tramp-sdelal-novoe-zaiavlenye-o-zelenskom) — Trump Made a New Statement About Zelensky. - [The Kyiv Independent](https://kyivindependent.com/im-not-a-big-fan-of-zelensky-trump-says-as-us-ukraine-tensions-deepen-2) — 'I'm not a big fan of Zelensky,' Trump says as US-Ukraine tensions deepen - [fakti.bg](https://fakti.bg/world/1090556-tramp-otnovo-poska-izbori-v-ukraina-smata-che-zelenski-ne-jelae-mir) — Trump Again Calls for Elections in Ukraine, Believes Zelensky Does Not Want Peace - [news-pravda.com](https://news-pravda.com/world/2026/10/16/2669643.html) — "I'm not a big fan of Zelensky": Trump questioned the readiness of the head of the Kiev regime for a peaceful settlement of the conflict - [Life.ru](https://life.ru/p/tramp-konflikt-na-ukraine-ureguliruyut-bez-zelenskogo) — Trump: The Conflict in Ukraine Is Resolved without Zelensky - [BizToc](https://biztoc.com/x/3c7ea2425a0205a2) — Trump: I'm not a big fan of Zelensky ## Questions **What did Donald Trump say about Volodymyr Zelensky?** Donald Trump stated in a Newsmax interview that Volodymyr Zelensky is "not a good guy for us to deal with" and that he is "not a big fan" of the Ukrainian president. Trump questioned Zelensky's desire to end the Russia-Ukraine war. **Why did Trump criticise Zelensky?** Donald Trump's criticism of Volodymyr Zelensky came after reports that Ukraine had resumed strikes against Russian oil refineries. Trump suggested that these strikes contribute to rising global fuel prices and questioned Zelensky's commitment to peace. **Did Zelensky respond to Trump's comments?** The Kyiv Independent reported that Ukraine's president had not yet responded to Donald Trump's latest comments. However, in an earlier interview with Piers Morgan, Zelensky had expressed feeling betrayed by Trump's positions. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-criticises-zelensky-questions-ukraines-peace-efforts. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Trump criticises Zelensky, questions Ukraine's peace efforts", https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-criticises-zelensky-questions-ukraines-peace-efforts