One of Fox News’ most loyal Trump defenders just turned on the president, live on air.
Host Brian Kilmeade, 62, blasted President Donald Trump’s deal to import Russian diesel on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026.
Kilmeade insisted that Moscow alone is responsible for the war in Ukraine, and his stand on “Fox & Friends Weekend” set off a prolonged argument with co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy, who defended the arrangement.
The Deal That Set Kilmeade Off
Trump laid out the terms in a Truth Social post on Friday, Oct. 9. Russia would supply the United States immediately with 300,000 tons of diesel, then another 500,000 tons in November, then 1 million tons “immediately thereafter.”
“Lower prices for Americans, especially our Great Farmers, Ranchers, and Truckers, is my Greatest Priority,” Trump wrote.
The announcement came less than a month after Trump approved bipartisan measures to sanction Russia and countries that buy energy from it. His temporary easing of U.S. sanctions on Russian diesel drew international backlash and accusations that his administration is helping bankroll Moscow’s war machine.
Trump announced on Sunday, Oct. 11, an immediate “ENERGY CEASEFIRE” between Russia and Ukraine, claiming both countries had agreed to halt attacks. Zelenskyy said the announcement “was news for me.” As of Wednesday, Oct. 14, the Kremlin said the ceasefire’s terms had not been spelled out, and Ukrainian officials said Russia kept hitting energy sites, including all three of Kyiv’s combined heat and power plants.
Even Republicans Are Pushing Back
On Tuesday, Oct. 13, a bipartisan group of 12 senators, including six Republicans, urged Trump to drop the deal, arguing it runs counter to the Russia sanctions law he signed in September. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office said the deal works against efforts by Canada and its allies to end the war in Europe.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned Trump’s decision to ease restrictions on Russian diesel as a “weak decision.” He warned that the arrangement benefits only Moscow.
Campos-Duffy pointed on the air to Trump’s suggestion that it may be time for an election and a new leader in Ukraine. Trump made that comment after Zelenskyy criticized the fuel deal with Moscow.
Kilmeade said: “The president got ticked off because Zelenskyy came out and said, ‘Do not buy five hundred million tons of diesel,’” adding that the frustration was understandable for the Ukrainian leader over money flowing to the country that launched the war unprovoked.
Kilmeade said: “They’re the bad guys. And there’s no way Zelenskyy turned down any plausible deal,” arguing that Russian President Vladimir Putin would never take part in a practical peace effort capable of ending the fighting.
Kilmeade traced the diesel shortage to Washington’s own military entanglements. Supply dried up when Iran struck Gulf states’ oil facilities and refineries, he said, and Russia suddenly became the new focus. He argued there would be no discussion of the deal at all but for the joint U.S. and Israeli war on Iran bringing the Gulf oil market to a standstill.
“Are You for America or Ukraine?”
Campos-Duffy defended the administration again, offering a reason behind Trump’s buying fuel from Russia. She noted that Zelenskyy has kept striking Russian refineries despite the president’s urging to stop, and she said Ukraine depends on the United States and was told not to do it.
“Are you for America or Ukraine?” Campos-Duffy demanded of Kilmeade during the clash.
Kilmeade pushed back, asking whether the Ukrainian president could be blamed for targeting the war machine killing his people and bombing apartment buildings. He praised Ukraine’s use of drones to hold off a far bigger and more powerful enemy.
Campos-Duffy objected at once, claiming 30,000 young men on each side are dying every month. “We should not be practicing drone, you know, technology, and using these kids as Guinea pigs,” she said. Asked which kids she meant, she answered: the soldiers.
“That Is the Modern Hitler of Our Generation”
Campos-Duffy said Trump has been clear about wanting peace in Ukraine. “Tell Vladimir Putin!” Kilmeade shot back. She replied that peace is likely precisely because Trump is now working with Russia, and she blamed the shift on Zelenskyy’s arrogance.
Kilmeade said: “There’s one person who’s responsible: Vladimir Putin.” He added: “That is it. And he’s getting his ass kicked.”
He closed with the bluntest warning of the morning. “It would be the biggest mistake of [Trump’s] administration to work with Russia. That is the modern Hitler of our generation,” Kilmeade said. He described Putin as the source of the region’s problems and warned that Putin is now helping Iran in ways that could kill American troops and destroy U.S. bases.
Kilmeade is one of the network’s most reliably conservative voices and a loyal Trump ally, which made the flare-up striking. He has repeatedly split from Trump-aligned media on Eastern Europe. In earlier broadcasts and radio interviews, he put the blame for the war squarely on Moscow, stating flatly that Putin is the bad guy and Ukraine cannot lose. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The on-air fight showed just how split Trump-friendly conservatives have become. Viewers on social media asked whether a political civil war is now playing out live among the network’s top hosts.
