President Donald Trump called renewed Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries a “disgrace,” the latest salvo in his campaign to pressure the U.S. ally over rising gas prices that could cost Republicans in next month’s midterm elections.
kyiv said Thursday it would no longer respect Trump’s “energy ceasefire,” citing Russia’s refusal to stop its own attacks on Ukraine’s power grid. President Volodymyr Zelensky angrily accused the United States of costing civilian lives by cutting deals with Moscow and withdrawing crucial support for kyiv’s defense against the Kremlin invasion.
Ukrainian officials have sounded the alarm after restrictions on the Starlink satellite service disrupted military operations and gaps in intelligence sharing left kyiv vulnerable to Russian attacks.
As Ukraine defied his demands to stop the strikes, Trump responded Thursday evening.
“If you tell me Zelensky is shooting the refineries again, all he’s doing is driving up the world price of oil,” Trump told Newsmax’s Rob Finnerty. “I think it’s a shame. There are plenty of other targets; they don’t need to hit them,” Trump said.
“Zelensky is not a good guy for us to deal with” on the war, he said, adding: “I think they would both like to see an end to it, but I think I find Zelensky more difficult to deal with than (Russian President Vladimir) Putin.” »
As his clash with Trump intensified, Zelensky was in Brussels on Friday to shore up support from European allies, whom he called “real leaders” as they gathered for a crucial summit.
Ukraine struck a Russian oil refinery on Thursday after Zelensky declared he was “done” with the truce, which Trump announced to the apparent surprise of both warring sides. Neither Moscow nor kyiv reported new strikes against Russian refineries on Friday.
Trump has sought to blame the Ukrainian strikes for destabilizing the price of diesel globally, despite the impact of his own war in Iran.
But this campaign of attacks deep in enemy territory gave Ukraine crucial leverage, triggering a major oil crisis in Russia.
kyiv hoped this would give it greater influence at the negotiating table, but as Washington moves to end the conflict, it has taken a series of steps that have caused surprise and concern among Ukraine and its supporters in Europe.
Last week, Trump announced a deal to buy diesel from Russia, an apparent attempt to relieve pressure at the pump for U.S. consumers as the midterm elections approach. but which reversed years of American policy. Trump then called on kyiv to stop all strikes against Russian oil infrastructure and said Zelensky must be replaced as Ukraine’s leader.
It comes amid growing questions about whether the United States is still sharing critical military intelligence with Ukraine after two major strikes earlier this week that kyiv says took place without the usual advance warning from its partners.
Ukraine also reported a slowdown in Starlink satellite terminals, critical to its military’s communications, drone missions and air defense.
kyiv said Starshield, the military version of the technology used by Ukrainian troops, had been restricted without any warning.
SpaceX chief Elon Musk, an ally of billionaire Trump, said such decisions were up to the US military and, ultimately, Trump.
After repeated requests for comment on Musk’s statement, a senior U.S. official told NBC News that “no such request has ever been made by the president.” Trump also denied restricting military intelligence for Ukraine.
kyiv announced Thursday that Starshield service was being restored, but the episode only added to growing suspicions in Ukraine that the United States was prepared to cut it off from battlefield support in order to exert pressure for a peace deal.
European and Ukrainian officials told NBC News they believe the moves, coming just days after Trump eased sanctions on Russian diesel exports and criticized Zelensky, were most likely aimed at pressuring kyiv to make concessions at the negotiating table amid an impasse in peace talks.
The Kremlin agreed with Trump on Friday, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying it was clear that “Zelensky does not want to take responsibility and move toward a peaceful resolution.”
Russia has always said it is open to a peace settlement, but only on its own harsh terms, which would see Ukraine cede significant territory.
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