NEW YORK, October 17. /TASS/. The relationship between US President Donald Trump and Vladimir Zelensky is close to breaking down, according to The New York Times.

It said that the American leader "has long made no secret of his disdain" for Zelensky, but while the latter "managed to hold on to some form of American support", now "the rupture feels real." Ahead of the midterm elections to the US Congress, the relationship between Trump and Zelensky seems "close to a breaking point," the publication believes.

The worst-case scenario for Ukraine, according to the newspaper, would be Washington’s decision to stop all military aid. It is noted that Kiev depends on Starshield satellite communications and on intelligence provided by the United States.

According to The Wall Street Journal, relations between Trump and Zelensky began to deteriorate after a meeting at the UN General Assembly in September, where the American leader demanded an explanation regarding the strikes on Russian oil refineries. According to the WSJ, since that meeting, Washington has asked Kiev to stop the strikes six times, and Trump’s attitude towards Zelensky has been getting increasingly worse. On October 10, Trump, amid Zelensky’s criticism of the agreement between Moscow and Washington on the supply of Russian diesel, said that Ukraine needs to hold elections and expressed confidence that Zelensky could have ended the conflict with Russia many times but chooses not to. Zelensky refused to hold elections and noted that Kiev is losing an important partner in Washington. According to The Wall Street Journal, the American leader’s statements indicate that relations with Zelensky have deteriorated to their lowest point since last winter.