WASHINGTON — Amy McGrath, a retired Marine fighter pilot and Kentucky Democrat, said Monday that “Trump is helping Putin wage his war,” just hours after Trump told reporters that Russia “has been fine on Ukraine.”
The Post
McGrath published the following on X at 5:10 p.m. on Oct. 19, 2026, in full:
“Meanwhile, Trump is helping Putin wage his war. Buying millions of gallons of Russian diesel. Easing sanctions that help fund Russia’s war machine. Cutting back intelligence sharing and military aid to Ukraine.
Russia keeps killing civilians. Trump calls it ‘fine.’”
The Report She Responded To
The post linked a report headlined “What Russia’s doing to Ukraine is ‘fine,’ Trump says,” written by reporter Abbey Fenbert and published Oct. 19. It quoted Trump telling reporters that day: “Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine. They haven’t been doing much.”
The report said Trump’s remarks came the same day a Russian daytime drone strike in a public park killed six people, including two children. It said Russia had attacked Kyiv with more than a dozen ballistic missiles the night before and targeted nearly 30 critical energy facilities across the country. The report said Trump did not address either attack.
Trump instead praised Putin’s restraint in both Ukraine and Iran, according to the report. Asked about a possible trilateral meeting with Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, he said he was open to it. He said its main purpose would be nuclear disarmament, not Ukraine. The question followed a report that Putin wants to use such a meeting, which would exclude President Volodymyr Zelensky, to secure a peace deal favorable to Moscow.
Trump said Russia was “very well-behaved on Iran” and said Putin was “laying off Iran.” The report noted that Russia is Iran’s close ally and has pledged support to Tehran in its war with the U.S. It added that Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed on April 30 that Russia was supporting Iran in that war.
Trump also said Ukraine should consider finding someone new to negotiate on its behalf, saying the U.S. has given Ukraine a lot and received nothing in return. He defended his recent dealings with Putin and the sanctions waivers, saying the U.S. was negotiating with the Kremlin over the release of a high-profile hostage.
The Diesel Deal and Sanctions Waiver
On Oct. 9, Trump announced a plan to buy Russian diesel despite years of U.S. sanctions on Russian energy products, and ordered Ukraine to stop attacking Russian oil refineries. Lawmakers from both parties noted that the Iran war was the main driver of the surge in global oil prices and criticized the deal for rewarding Moscow.
On Oct. 16, the White House published an executive order titled “Implementing the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026.” In Section 4, Trump wrote that he “hereby waive[s] the application of any duties” under sections 112 and 113 of the act. The order also waives the sanctions provision in section 102(d) and a list of other sanctions sections.
The order says Trump submitted a certification to Congress that the waivers are “in the national interests of the United States.” It also states that sanctions already imposed under existing executive orders on Russia are unaffected.
McGrath’s Position on Ukraine
McGrath is a former Marine Corps combat veteran, the 2020 Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Kentucky and a national security commentator. In a radio interview, she told host Richard Chew, “I’m 100 percent behind Ukraine,” and said she was glad the U.S. was talking about sending more weapons and getting tougher on Putin.
In the same interview, she criticized what she called “the constant flip-flopping on Ukraine” by Trump and said Putin was laughing at him.