US President Donald Trump has slammed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over attacks on Russian oil refineries, deepening tensions between Washington and Kiev as Zelensky asks for more support from Europe.
In an interview with Newsmax aired on Thursday, Trump said Zelensky has been driving up global oil prices by resuming strikes on Russian energy facilities.
“All he’s doing is making the world oil price higher. Well, I think that’s a disgrace,” Trump said.
Trump said Ukraine's continued strikes on Russian oil refineries had caused fuel shortage, ignoring the fact that the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran was another factor affecting the energy market.
“There are a lot of targets you can hit, but when you shoot at diesel refineries where you make, you know, diesel oil, and we need that, and the world needs that, then he’s not doing a good service for the world.”
Trump’s remarks came after Ukraine resumed attacks on Russian oil refineries following the collapse of an energy ceasefire he had announced on Sunday.
The dispute has added to tensions over Trump’s efforts to curb fuel prices in the United States ahead of next month’s midterm elections. His administration announced an easing of sanctions on Russia in exchange for Moscow releasing large volumes of diesel onto global markets, a move Ukraine described as “betrayal”.
Trump also said that relations with Zelensky had been more difficult than those with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I’m not a big fan of Zelensky,” Trump said. “I think they actually both would like to see it end, but I think I find Zelensky to be more difficult to deal with than Putin.”
The comments underscored the widening gap between Washington and Kiev over how to end the war and the extent to which Ukraine should be expected to limit its attacks on Russian targets.
Zelensky, meanwhile, sought to reinforce Ukraine’s ties with its European partners during a visit to Brussels for a European Union summit on Friday.
“I’m so thankful that we have such huge support from the EU” and its leaders, he said upon arrival, describing them as “real leaders.”
Zelensky did not directly respond to Trump’s latest remarks but claimed that Ukraine wants to end the war as quickly as possible.
Relations between the two governments have also been strained by disruptions to Ukraine’s access to Starlink satellite services, which Kiev claims has affected Ukrainian drone operations and air defenses.
During a visit to London earlier this week, Zelensky said the sudden restrictions had left him feeling personally betrayed by Trump and lamented the loss of a partner, The Guardian reported.
At the Brussels summit, European Union leaders reaffirmed their support for Kiev amid growing uncertainty over the long-term US commitment to Ukraine.
The Kremlin, meanwhile, said that Ukraine has been undermining peace efforts by resuming its attacks on Russian refineries.
Zelensky has also called on European leaders to provide Ukraine with an additional €70 billion next year to sustain its war against Russia.
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