Trump slams Zelenskyy as Ukraine resumes strikes on Russian oil refineries

Russia says Ukraine has targeted an oil refinery in Ryazan, about 180km (110 miles) southeast of Moscow, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv was “done” with an energy ceasefire unilaterally announced by United States President Donald Trump over the weekend.

“The Kyiv regime attempted a large-scale attack on an oil refinery in Ryazan,” Moscow’s Defence Ministry said in a statement on Thursday, adding that a “fire broke out after drone debris fell onto the refinery site”.

Zelenskyy earlier told British newspaper the Financial Times that strikes on Russian oil refineries would resume, and accused the US of weakening Ukraine’s position on the battlefield by withdrawing crucial intelligence sharing.

Trump on Sunday unilaterally announced an “energy ceasefire” that was not publicly confirmed, and Moscow continued striking Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Ukraine said it suspended attacks on Russian energy sites for several days after Trump’s announcement.

The US has pressured Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian refineries, claiming that a suspension of attacks and a deal for Russia to export 1.8 million tonnes of diesel would help reduce soaring fuel prices.

“This politically is not simple [in America], because everybody will want to ask how it can be when some people are surviving, fighting, dying – and you make … business with the guys with such aggression,” Zelenskyy told the FT.

Zelenskyy told British broadcaster Piers Morgan that he felt betrayed by Trump. “It’s painful when President Trump chooses one side, not our side,” he said. “But we are OK that he’s in the middle.”

Zelenskyy also alleged that Ukraine’s access to SpaceX’s satellite internet service was restricted, potentially leaving it more vulnerable to Russian attacks. The Ukrainian armed forces use SpaceX’s military-grade Starshield system for offensive and defensive operations.

Ukraine is heavily dependent on Western military aid in its fight against Russia, particularly from the US and Germany. However, Kyiv’s relations with Washington have strained in recent weeks, with Trump calling on Saturday for Zelenskyy to be replaced.

Trump, who is attempting to lower domestic energy prices ahead of the US midterm elections, told Newsmax on Thursday that Kyiv’s resumed strikes on Russian refineries were “making the world oil price higher”. Calling the targeted attacks “a disgrace”, he asserted that Ukraine had “plenty of other targets” and argued that targeting diesel infrastructure was “not doing a good service for the world”.

Despite the tensions, Zelenskyy said he would be willing to pause strikes on Russian energy sites again, but only if the US supplied Ukraine with crucial Patriot interceptors.

On military aid, Trump said the US was acquiring “Patriots at record levels” to replenish domestic stockpiles, adding that once American reserves were “really stocked”, Washington would allow allies to buy the air defence systems.

Continuing his criticism on Newsmax, Trump admitted he was “not a big fan” of the Ukrainian leader. “I find Zelenskyy to be more difficult to deal with than Putin,” he said, adding that the Ukrainian leader “says he wants to settle, but he doesn’t”. The war “should end soon”, he said, but “Putin hates Zelenskyy, and Zelenskyy hates Putin”.

Trump also raised the prospect of an election in Ukraine, claiming nobody has told him that Ukrainians are “satisfied having missiles hitting their apartment building”. Ukraine has been under martial law, which prevents national elections, since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.

Meanwhile, three people were killed and six others injured after the Kirovohrad region of central Ukraine came under a Russian drone attack lasting more than 10 hours into Thursday morning, Ukraine’s emergency services said.

Between midnight and Thursday morning, Russia launched more than 850 drones at Ukraine, Zelenskyy said on X. He added that the barrage came “precisely at a time when the speed of our defensive capabilities is being artificially restricted”, an apparent reference to the Starshield connectivity disruptions.

Russian aerial attacks hit 15 Ukrainian regions, he said.

‘Pressure the aggressor to stop the war, not the victim to surrender’

On Thursday, Zelenskyy also arrived in Brussels to meet European leaders as he pushes for tougher sanctions on Moscow and faster delivery of support from the European Union.

Asked by reporters in Brussels whether the European Union still trusts Trump, the bloc’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, replied: “We definitely have a different approach to this war. We see that we have to pressure the aggressor to stop the war, not the victim to surrender.”

She said: “Squeezing Ukraine is not the right approach, and that is why Europe is standing beside Ukraine.”

Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten has called on EU leaders to “step up” their game to ensure Ukraine wins the war against Russia.

The EU has already pledged $50bn in support for Ukraine next year. However, the sum falls far short of the $175bn Kyiv plans to spend on its defences next year.

Trump has denied that the US has stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine.