Donald Trump's July 2019 call with Volodymyr Zelensky led to Trump's first impeachment. In Trump's second term the two clashed in the Oval Office in February 2025, signed a minerals fund deal in April, and have since alternated between peace talks and public disputes, most recently over a US deal on Russian diesel in October 2026.
Russia's war in Ukraine continues. After Trump said in October 2026 that Ukraine should get a new president, tensions eased with talks in Oslo, and the BBC reported that the State Department approved a $2.1 billion Patriot missile sale to Ukraine on October 30. A Kremlin aide suggested a new round of talks around November 10 in Abu Dhabi.
In a phone call congratulating Zelensky on his election, Trump asked him to look into a theory about Crowdstrike and into Joe Biden and his son, and to work with the US attorney general, according to the White House memorandum of the call.
Meeting Trump at the UN General Assembly on the day the White House released the call memorandum, Zelensky called it a good and normal phone call. Trump said he had placed no pressure on Zelensky.
The House of Representatives adopted two articles of impeachment over Trump's dealings with Ukraine, abuse of power by 230 to 197 and obstruction of Congress by 229 to 198.
The Senate acquitted Trump on both articles, with 48 senators voting guilty and 52 not guilty on abuse of power and 47 guilty and 53 not guilty on obstruction of Congress, short of the two-thirds needed to convict.
Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The United States went on to give Ukraine more than $180 billion in assistance, including more than $66.5 billion in military aid, AP reported.
Trump, then a presidential candidate, met Zelensky at Trump Tower and said both wanted the war to end with a fair deal. Zelensky said Putin could not be allowed to win.
After US and Russian officials held talks in Saudi Arabia without Ukraine, Zelensky said Trump was living in a Russian disinformation space and that the US had helped Putin out of isolation.
Trump called Zelensky a dictator in a Truth Social post and in a speech in Florida, saying he refused to hold elections. A White House official said the post responded directly to Zelensky's remarks.
A meeting meant to advance a minerals agreement turned into a televised argument between Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Zelensky. US officials then asked Zelensky to leave the White House, a planned joint news conference was called off and Trump posted that Zelensky could come back when ready for peace, NBC reported.
The Trump administration paused military aid to Ukraine after the Oval Office argument, a White House official said.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed that intelligence sharing with Ukraine was paused as part of the overall pause Trump had ordered, saying Trump had questions about Zelensky's commitment to peace.
After talks in Jeddah, Ukraine said it was ready to accept a US proposal for an immediate 30-day interim ceasefire subject to Russian acceptance, and the United States said it would immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance.
The United States and Ukraine signed an agreement establishing the United States-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund, which Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said signalled US commitment to a peace process centred on a free and sovereign Ukraine.
Three days after Trump met Putin in Alaska, Zelensky met Trump at the White House, joined by several European leaders, in a meeting a Council on Foreign Relations analyst described as cordial.
At a White House meeting Zelensky sought Tomahawk cruise missiles. Trump was non-committal, saying he hoped the war could end without them.
Trump said his administration's 28-point peace proposal was not his final offer but that Zelensky could keep fighting if he did not agree. Reported terms included Russia keeping more territory and Ukraine never joining NATO.
Zelensky met Trump in Florida on a revised peace plan. Zelensky said the US had offered security guarantees for 15 years and that territory and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant were the main unresolved issues.
After meeting Trump at the World Economic Forum, Zelensky said they had agreed on future US security guarantees but that the status of eastern Ukraine was still unsolved, ahead of three-way talks in the Emirates.
The US-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund approved its first investment, in a Ukrainian maker of radio control systems for drones, the Treasury said.
At the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump told Zelensky the US would give Ukraine a licence to produce Patriot interceptor missiles, the BBC reported. Ukraine's presidential office said the two discussed strengthening Ukraine's air defence.
Three weeks later Trump said the US had not agreed to let Ukraine produce Patriots and that the technology was hard to give away.
Meeting Trump at the UN General Assembly, Zelensky said Ukraine was ready for an energy ceasefire if Russia stopped attacking critical infrastructure, and urged a three-way meeting with Putin. His office said he thanked Trump for work on launching Patriot interceptor production in Ukraine.
After Trump confirmed a deal suspending sanctions on Russian diesel exports, Zelensky said it would give Moscow money for the war.
Trump told reporters Ukraine should get a new leader who could make a deal, and that Zelensky had better stop strikes on Russian refineries. Elections are suspended in Ukraine under martial law.
Trump said Russia and Ukraine had agreed an energy ceasefire effective immediately. Zelensky initially expressed surprise, then said Ukraine was ready to refrain from striking Russian energy infrastructure if Russia did the same, and accused Russia of new strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities.
On October 20 Zelensky met the leaders of Norway and Finland in Oslo and held talks with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who joined online according to Ukraine's presidential office. Witkoff met Putin in St Petersburg the next day. Russia said it was ready in principle to resume talks, paused since February, and Trump said peace might be the closest it had been.
The State Department approved the proposed sale of 500 PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine for about $2.1 billion, paid for with donations from Canada, Germany and Norway and an EU loan, the BBC reported, quoting the department's statement. Zelensky warned deliveries could take several years and repeated calls for faster supply.
“he is living in this disinformation space.”
“He refuses to have elections. He's low in the real Ukrainian polls.”
“a weak decision of strong partners”
“it's time for Ukraine to get a new president”
| July 25, 2019 call | Basis of the first impeachment of Trump |
| House impeachment | December 18, 2019, two articles |
| Senate verdict | Acquitted February 5, 2020, 52 to 48 and 53 to 47 against conviction |
| Oval Office meeting | February 28, 2025 |
| Minerals deal | US-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund agreement signed April 30, 2025 |
| Patriot sale | 500 PAC-3 missiles approved October 30, 2026 |
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Last updated 31 October 2026. Spotted an error? See corrections. Every event links to the record it comes from. Allegations are attributed to whoever made them.