October 18, 2026: Zelenskyy: Trump Pushing Ukraine to Yield, France Protests, More

0:01 News when you want it with Bloomberg News Now. I'm Dan Schwartzman. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused President Trump of trying to pressure Kyiv into surrendering to Russia. Zelensky also offered a new proposal to stop targeting Russian refineries in exchange for more Patriot air defense missiles. He said Ukraine has paid for the weapons, but accused the U.S.

0:21 of delaying deliveries. Zelensky said relations with the U.S. may improve after the midterm elections, saying politics is, quote, very aggressive during election time and that he believes things will be calmer afterward. Earlier in the day, speaking on NBC's Meet the Press, Zelensky said he wants to trust Trump following a series of recent U.S. deals with Russia.

0:40 If it's without United States support, it's very difficult.

0:45 But if United States will support Putin, I.

0:48 Mean, it's unbelievable. It's Tragedy.

0:51 It's historic mistake and big tragedy. That was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaking on NBC's Meet the Press. Zelensky also said the U.S. has resumed sharing intelligence with Ukraine, but he did say restrictions on Ukraine's use of Starshield remain. Kyiv relies on Starshield, the military version of Starlink, to help its air defenses intercept Russian drones. Zelensky accused the U.S.

1:13 government and Elon Musk's SpaceX of being behind the restrictions. Meantime, President Trump took to Truth Social to defend his recent decisions involving Russia. Those decisions include holding off on implementing new sanctions on Russia and reaching a diesel deal. Trump said he made the moves because he doesn't want to drive Russian President Vladimir Putin away from peace talks with Ukraine.

1:33 Trump also accused Zelensky of prolonging the Russia-Ukraine war because of the military aid he has gotten from European allies. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin is reportedly pushing a new path toward negotiations and the war in Ukraine on terms that would favor Moscow. The Wall Street Journal reports Putin has proposed a meeting next month with Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to discuss the conflict. The journal also says the plan for a summit would not involve Ukrainian President Zelensky.

1:59 Here's Bloomberg's John Herskowitz.

2:01 The idea would be that Russia wants to take care of the better relations it has with the U.S. now, get a settlement that's on its terms, and leave Ukraine out of the process. Yeah, it would be very much the detriment of Zelensky to the Ukrainian people and very much to Putin's favor. And to have this with Xi Jinping, it's kind of like the big powers play that we saw during World War II for the carving up of Europe after the war. So it's quite a development. And the fact that the White House is considering this is something that will be of great concern to Ukraine, Europe, and a lot of people in Congress.

2:41 That was Bloomberg's John Herskowitz. France is dealing with the aftermath of widespread protests that turned violent with looting, buildings set on fire, and thousands of people arrested nationwide. Large demonstrations took place in cities across France. They started peacefully but have deteriorated into clashes between police and protesters. And it comes at a critical time for France with the presidential election looming in April. Here's French President Emmanuel Macron speaking through a translator.

3:06 There is nothing that justifies it, nothing that explains it, nothing.

3:10 That excuses it.

3:11 We are all feeling anger and shame tonight to see the streets of our cities destroyed.

3:18 One fact like this is unbearable.

3:22 That's French President Emmanuel Macron speaking through a translator. Macron went on to say those responsible for violence will, quote, answer for what they've done. Canada is investigating a, quote, serious incident that sparked a major fire at a military base in Alberta, killing several people and injuring dozens more.

3:39 Here's Prime Minister Mark Carney.

3:41 A violent, fast-moving fire swept through Canadian Armed Forces Base in Wainwright, Alberta. And what followed was one of the worst tragedies for the forces on Canadian soil in peacetime.

3:56 The fire is still under investigation, but authorities say there are no signs it's terrorism. This comes as millions of voters in Alberta get set to vote for a referendum tomorrow to separate from Canada. Former Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Christopher Freeland is against it.

4:11 Canada has managed, I would say probably more, than any Western industrialized country, maybe apart from Spain, to still be proud of being multicultural and not to have that polarization. This referendum, a little bit, is trying to get people to get mad at immigrants. And I think that's wrong and really dangerous and divisive.

4:34 That was former Deputy Prime Minister Krista Freeland speaking on Bloomberg's This Weekend. At stake is the future of Canada's largest oil-producing province, which pumps more than 4 million barrels a day, most of it for export to the U.S. President Trump has endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for re-election.

4:52 Trump's endorsement marks a late intervention in Israel's election, with voters heading to the polls in several days. It comes after months of increasing strain between the two leaders. Netanyahu's top election rival, Gadi Eizenkot, said the election is an internal matter. He added that only the citizens of Israel will decide who will be the next prime minister. China's third quarter GDP grew 4.5% year over year, compared with the median forecast of 4.4% by economists surveyed by Bloomberg.

5:19 That took expansion in the first nine months of the year to 4.6%, within the government's annual goal of 4.5% to 5%. We got reaction from Erica Tay, Macro Research Director at Maybank.

5:30 I think it's a relief.

5:32 The growth numbers did not come out as weak as we feared. But that also means that it reduces the urgency for policymakers to roll out any kind of massive economic stimulus in the next few months in order to meet the growth target.

5:53 That's Erica Tay from Maybank. Anthropic plans to shift some of its shares into a new, quote, public good fund. Bloomberg's Monica Ricks reports.

6:02 Anthropic says it's putting 5% of its shares into a new fund that the artificial intelligence company says will enable it to make donations that can address the public good, including mitigating AI's impact on the job market. And according to a statement, the fund will grow as the company grows. That announcement comes as Anthropic prepares for an IPO while seeking to address rising concerns over AI safety. The company recently presented its own draft bill to U.S. lawmakers for how to regulate the technology, suggesting the government could block models if it poses any serious risks. Monica Ricks, Bloomberg Radio.

6:37 And that's news when you want it with Bloomberg News Now. I'm Dan Schwartzman and this is Bloomberg.