At a Brussels press conference on Oct. 16, Ukrainian President Zelenskiy paused for more than ten seconds when a Sky News reporter asked whether U.S. President Trump had used him as a scapegoat; Zelenskiy then smiled and said that was his answer.

Oct. 17 in Tashkent, China's Premier Li Qiang met Uzbekistan President Mirziyoyev. Li said China will seek to expand and optimize bilateral trade and deepen cooperation in energy, mining, finance and connectivity, and pledged to ensure high‑quality implementation of the China‑Kyrgyzstan‑Uzbekistan railway. He also flagged intensified tech cooperation in AI, the green economy and aerospace, and said Beijing supports more capable Chinese firms investing in Uzbekistan, urging continuation of a favorable business environment. Both sides agreed to strengthen coordination on major issues and multilateral cooperation through China‑Central Asia mechanisms and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

ZELENSKIY says Russia seeks to deploy ballistic missile systems in Belarus.