Starlink, Russian diesel and a NATO pledge in WSJ Opinion's Trump-Zelensky report
Gen. Alexus Grynkewich answers Europe's worries about American commitment by pointing to himself.
Wall Street Journal Opinion
Story of Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 123,777 views a day, 30 times a normal first day on this channel (4,128).
The Trump-Zelensky Rift Worsens
Things we can learn from the video
Press to jump
- 0:00European leaders in Brussels reaffirm sanctions on Russia; von der Leyen ties lifting them to an end of the war.
- 0:57Limits on Starlink and Starshield service hit Ukrainian drone operations; Jack Keane says he was told it is fixed.
- 2:00Trump announces a deal to buy Russian diesel, drawing a European backlash.
- 2:50Gen. Grynkewich lays out NATO's forward defense posture at the Warsaw Security Forum.
- 3:40Trump criticizes Ukraine's strikes on Russian diesel and says it needs a new leader; Costa pledges EU support.
- 4:39A Warsaw panel questions Article 5's political backing; Grynkewich says his own posting shows US commitment.
Mark Kelly, a senior producer on the Journal's editorial page, narrates "The Trump-Zelensky Rift Worsens," a report of about seven minutes that pulls several strands of the past weeks into one thread: limits on Ukraine's satellite service, a Russian diesel deal, and European allies asking what America's promises are worth.
It opens in Brussels, where Ursula von der Leyen says, "We will not lift any sanctions unless Russia stops the war." Zelensky then describes how he believes Washington sees him: "the American side said that it's difficult to speak with Zelensky. It's less difficult to manage with Putin."
The satellite episode, restrictions on Starlink and Starshield service that affected Ukraine's drone operations, comes with a qualification from retired Gen. Jack Keane: "I've been told that's been fixed. So this was a temporary thing."
The diesel thread is less settled. Kelly covers Trump's announced deal to buy diesel from Russia and the European backlash that followed. A clip then shows Trump criticizing Ukraine for striking Russian diesel infrastructure: "I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal!" Back in Brussels, European Council President António Costa offers Zelensky the opposite message, promising support not only in the war but for Ukraine's future in the European Union.
The Warsaw Security Forum supplies the report's central contrast. A panel raises doubts about the political will behind NATO's Article 5, and Grynkewich, the alliance's top military commander, answers with his own presence: "I'm right here. I'm an American officer that was sent here by President Trump. That's a commitment to the alliance." Earlier in the forum he puts it more bluntly: "If someone is foolish enough to attack us, we will fight."
The report drew nearly 80,000 views in its first 11 hours. A regular upload on this channel usually gets around 4,000 in its whole first day. The comments moved faster still, passing 400 when about two dozen is normal, and much of the discussion is about the title itself. Several viewers argue that the real split is between Washington and Europe, not between two presidents.
It was one of several uploads the channel posted that day. The others, on California's Prop. 40 wealth tax and New England's Senate races, drew a few thousand views each.
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- Channel
- Wall Street Journal Opinion
- Subscribers
- 149,000 ▲ 2,000 this week
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 1,004,474
- Channel views, pace per day
- 260,681 (on a normal day: 104,708)
- Video published
- October 17, 2026
- Video views so far
- 79,742 (less than a day online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 123,777
The numbers
The report started far faster than this channel's usual regular videos, and its comment section was busier still.
💡 Test your knowledge
In which city was the North Atlantic Treaty, which founded NATO, signed in 1949?
The treaty was signed in Washington, D.C., on April 4, 1949; NATO's headquarters later settled in Brussels.