Tensions between Washington and Kyiv erupted into public recriminations Friday after President Donald Trump branded Ukraine’s renewed strikes on Russian oil refineries a “disgrace,” while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sought backing from European allies in Brussels.
Speaking in a televised interview broadcast late Thursday on Newsmax, Trump criticized Zelensky for breaking what the White House had framed as a mutual pause on strikes against energy infrastructure. Trump argued that targeting Russian refineries drives up global fuel prices amid high energy costs tied to the U.S. conflict with Iran.
“If you tell me that Zelensky is again shooting at refineries, all he’s doing is making the world oil price higher,” Trump told Newsmax host Rob Finnerty. “I think that’s a disgrace. There’s plenty of other targets.”
Trump also claimed that the Ukrainian leader has proven harder to negotiate with than Russian President Vladimir Putin, remarking that Zelensky is “more difficult to deal with than Putin” and calling him “not a good guy for us to deal with” in efforts to negotiate an end to the war.
Dispute Over Energy Truce and Fuel Deals
The latest friction followed Trump’s announcement last week that Washington had reached an agreement to purchase 2.25 million barrels of diesel from Russia. The transaction, designed to ease domestic pump prices ahead of upcoming midterm elections, drew immediate condemnation from Kyiv, with Zelensky describing the arrangement as a gift to the Kremlin, according to Axios.
While Trump had subsequently declared a truce on energy strikes, Kyiv asserted that Moscow never respected the pause. Ukrainian officials reported more than 100 Russian attacks on the country’s power plants and electrical networks over the previous week. Zelensky declared to the Financial Times on Thursday that his country was “done” observing the unilateral pause, swiftly followed by a Ukrainian drone strike that ignited a fire at an oil facility in Russia’s Ryazan province.
Speaking to reporters Friday at a European Union summit in Brussels, Zelensky defended Ukraine’s military decisions, emphasizing that he was acting strictly to protect national survival as winter nears.
“We want to end this war as quickly as possible,” Zelensky told reporters. “We don’t see now signals from Russian side that they are ready for this, to end this war. That’s why we have to prepare for the winter.”
In what was widely seen as a veiled critique of Washington, Zelensky thanked gathered European heads of state, calling them “real leaders” who have stood consistently with Kyiv. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov backed Trump’s assessment on Friday, telling reporters that Zelensky appeared unwilling to take responsibility for pursuing peace.
Satellite Access and Battlefield Strains
The rift has also deepened suspicions regarding American battlefield support. Ukrainian officials sounded alarms earlier this week after experiencing connectivity slowdowns and interruptions on Starshield, the military branch of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network that Ukraine uses to direct drones, track missiles and maintain unit communications.
SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk suggested on social media that operational curbs stemmed from the U.S. military and the administration. A senior U.S. official told NBC News and the New York Post that Trump never ordered any restriction on Ukrainian access. While service showed signs of recovery by Thursday, Zelensky stated in Brussels on Friday that speeds had not yet returned to their previous standard.
On Friday, Russian bombardments struck nine Ukrainian regions, injuring at least 15 civilians and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of households, according to Ukrainian authorities. With Ukraine facing daily electricity outages of four to 12 hours, European leaders are weighing a winter aid package as Zelensky warned that next year’s defense needs will exceed $170 billion.
