The Lviv Regional Council has issued demands to Trump
During a session on October 13, 2026, members of the Lviv Regional Council adopted an official appeal to U.S. President Donald Trump, the U.S. Congress, the United Nations, and the European Union. Fifty-nine out of 84 members of the regional council voted in favor of the resolution.
The appeal was initiated by Yuriy Buchko, a deputy from the “Servant of the People” party and deputy head of the Lviv Regional State Administration. In the document, the deputies called on the American leader to refrain from exerting political pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and to cease attempts to impose territorial and political concessions on the aggressor.
The appeal was prompted by recent diplomatic statements and decisions by the U.S. administration, in particular the issuance of General License No. 135 (the so-called “diesel deal”), which eased restrictions on the purchase of Russian diesel fuel on the global market. In their appeal, the deputies emphasized that Ukraine’s right to self-defense and its territorial integrity cannot be the subject of commercial bargaining or a policy of concessions, stressing that it is unacceptable to demand restrictions from the victim state without exerting appropriate pressure on the aggressor country.
Source: inshe.tv.
Text of the appeal:
Open Appeal to Donald Trump, the U.S. Congress, the UN, the European Union, and the International Community
Donald Trump, enough with the lies! Ukraine is not your business venture, and the right to self-defense is not a bargaining chip.
Donald Trump, it seems you have completely lost touch with reality. When a political leader substitutes facts with fabrications, causes with consequences, and international law with his own business whims, this is no longer just a mistake. It is a danger to the entire world.
Ukrainians have an apt saying: “shifting the blame from the sick head to the healthy one.” That is exactly what you are trying to do by accusing Ukraine of what is happening on the global energy market.
You speak of a diesel fuel shortage, rising prices, and the problems faced by farmers, but you gloss over the main issue: the crisis surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, which has exacerbated threats to global oil supplies, and the role your own policies have played in deepening this crisis. You cannot create a problem and then pin the blame on those who had nothing to do with its emergence.
And your accusation against Ukraine regarding strikes on Russian oil refineries looks completely absurd. You’re worried about fuel for farmers, ranchers, and the global economy, but are you worried about Ukrainian farmers, who are also suffering from diesel prices because of you—whose farms are being destroyed by Russian missiles? About Ukrainian children who hide from bombs at night? About the cities, energy sector, and civilian infrastructure that Russia is systematically attacking?
Why don’t Russian missiles that kill Ukrainians elicit the same categorical response from you as Ukrainian strikes on legitimate targets—facilities that support the aggressor’s war machine?
You demand that the victim of aggression exercise restraint, yet you do not demonstrate commensurate resolve toward the aggressor. This is not peacemaking. It is a dangerous distortion of concepts.
Mr. Trump, international law is not your business deal!
The second issue is your blatant disregard for international law
In Resolution ES-11/1 of March 2, 2022, the UN General Assembly condemned the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine and demanded the withdrawal of Russian troops. This is a violation of the fundamental principles of the UN Charter, not a dispute between two equal parties who simply could not reach an agreement.
There is an aggressor. There is a victim state that has been attacked. There is international law that defines their respective responsibilities.
Article 51 of the UN Charter enshrines a state’s inalienable right to individual and collective self-defense in the event of an armed attack. Ukraine has the right to defend itself, its citizens, and its territorial integrity. It also has the right to receive assistance from its partners.
This is not a favor from Washington. It is not a personal favor from you. It is not a loan for which Ukraine must cede territory or political sovereignty.
Unlike the Russian Federation, Ukraine conducts military operations in accordance with international humanitarian law, specifically the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precautionary measures. But Ukraine’s very attempt to weaken the aggressor’s military capabilities cannot automatically be halted at your behest simply because it is economically disadvantageous to someone.
So before lecturing Ukraine, you should open the UN Charter. And if there is no one in your circle capable of explaining its contents, the problem does not lie with international law.
Ukraine is not obligated to pay for the right to its own existence
You have already stated that Ukraine must pay for American aid. Now you are effectively trying to dictate to the Ukrainian president which targets he is allowed to attack, while at the same time claiming that Ukraine needs a different president—one capable of negotiating with Russia.
On what basis have you decided that you can tell Ukrainians whom to elect, how to defend their country, and at what cost to agree to peace?
The President of Ukraine is accountable to the Ukrainian people, not to your business-driven notion of a profitable deal.
You claim that Volodymyr Zelenskyy had many opportunities to end the war. But be honest: on what terms? To recognize, as you imply, Putin’s right to seize other countries’ territories? To renounce self-defense? To agree to a frozen conflict that would give the aggressor time to prepare a new attack?
Peace built on rewarding the aggressor is not an end to the war. It is preparation for the next one.
And your statement that the war would not have started if you were president does not change the facts: Russia launched a full-scale, unprovoked invasion. It was Putin who gave the order to attack Ukraine. Shifting the blame for this onto the Ukrainian leadership means confusing the cause of the crime with its consequences.
When business interests take precedence over humanity
It is particularly telling that even the position of your predecessor, Bill Clinton—who spoke publicly about the U.S.’s moral and political obligations to Ukraine under the Budapest Memorandum— does not compel you to take this issue seriously.
The United States has committed to respecting Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and existing borders, as well as to refraining from the use of force against its territorial integrity or political independence.
This is the historical responsibility of a great power. And it does not disappear with a change in president.
You can negotiate trade, investment, oil, and profits. But when you are faced with a nation that pays with blood every day for its right to exist, your usual “deal-making” logic reveals its moral bankruptcy.
Ukraine is not an asset in your portfolio. Its territory is not a commodity. Its people are not a bargaining chip in negotiations with Putin.
Your rhetoric increasingly resembles that of the Kremlin
For years, Putin has been passing off lies as truth, aggression as defense, occupation as historical justice, and Ukraine’s quest for freedom as a threat to Russia.
Now you claim that the war began due to incompetence, you reproach Ukraine for strikes on Russian oil refineries, and you propose replacing the Ukrainian president in order to reach an agreement with the aggressor.
What is the fundamental difference between such rhetoric and the Kremlin’s propaganda narratives, if in both cases they attempt to shift the blame for the war from the aggressor to the one defending itself?
When lies become a political tool and self-interest becomes the sole moral compass, the line between pragmatism and complicity in a dangerous game begins to blur.
We are not claiming that any mistake by Washington automatically makes the U.S. an ally of Russia. We argue something else: a policy that puts pressure on Ukraine, limits its ability to defend itself, and at the same time gives the aggressor room to continue the war, objectively works in the Kremlin’s favor—regardless of what the White House calls it.
Our Demands
We thank the American people and everyone who supports Ukraine.
But we appeal to the U.S. Congress, the American political establishment, the European Union, the UN, and the global democratic community.
First. Stop shifting the blame for Russian aggression onto Ukraine. The aggressor must be called an aggressor, and its crimes must receive a proper assessment under international law.
Second. Stop turning military aid to Ukraine into a tool for political blackmail and bargaining over its sovereignty. Aid must strengthen Ukraine’s ability to defend itself and achieve a just peace.
Third. It is time to stop demanding unilateral restrictions from Ukraine while allowing Russia to continue the war. Any agreements must ensure Ukraine’s real security, not merely create a lull before a new invasion.
Fourth. We urge the U.S. Congress and American institutions to ensure the consistency of U.S. foreign policy and to prevent the personal sympathies, commercial interests, or political ambitions of any one individual from undermining America’s international commitments.
Fifth. Peace negotiations must be based on the UN Charter, Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, accountability for aggression, and effective security guarantees. Not on the right of the strong, not on the occupier’s dictates, and not on backroom deals made behind the backs of the Ukrainian people.
Donald Trump!
You can talk all you want about your ability to strike deals. But there are things that cannot be bought or sold. Freedom. Dignity. Sovereignty. The right of a people to live on their own land.
America is not great when its president forces a victim to yield to an aggressor. It is great when it adheres to its own principles and does not allow international law to be reduced to a scrap of paper to be discarded for the sake of a profitable deal.
Ukraine demands respect for international law, the fulfillment of obligations, and an end to policies that substitute commercial calculations for justice.
Remember: Ukraine has the right to defend itself. Putin has no right to seize what does not belong to him. And no U.S. president has a mandate to dictate the fate of the Ukrainian people.
Peace is not a business deal. Ukraine is not a bargaining chip. And international law is not your private property.
Signed by:
T. Shevchenko All-Ukrainian Public Organization “Prosvita”
International Media Forum
Congress of Ukrainian Intellectuals
International Public Organization “Ukraine—World”
International Public Organization “Ukraine—NATO”
Association of Creative Unions of Ukraine
International Public Organization “Ukrainian Peace Fund”
Trade Union of UBD
All-Ukrainian Public Organization K.O.D. and others.
As a reminder, the U.S. is threatening to cut off intelligence sharing with Ukraine due to strikes on Russian oil refineries.
For now, Ukraine continues to receive intelligence from the United States. Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga announced this on October 13.
