WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump blasted Kyiv for restarting attacks on Russian oil and diesel plants, saying the raids lift world fuel prices after an energy pause he floated last weekend fell apart.
Speaking in a Thursday television interview from the White House, Trump said Ukrainian forces have plenty of other military targets and that hitting diesel production hurts global supply. He repeated that he is no admirer of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and finds him harder to handle than Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kyiv resumed the refinery campaign after Zelenskyy said his government was walking away from the energy pause Trump announced Sunday. Ukrainian forces had briefly stopped those strikes to show readiness for talks, while Russia kept pounding Ukrainian power stations. One strike hit a Rosneft plant southeast of Moscow that feeds the capital region.
Asked about a proposed two-month halt so Ukraine could hold a vote, Trump said the country needs an election. He argued Russia larger population lets it absorb battlefield losses Ukraine cannot match, while conceding Kyiv has received top-tier U.S. gear.
Ties frayed further this week when Ukrainian officials described limits on Starlink service that slowed drone work and air defenses. British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said his American counterpart Pete Hegseth told him face to face that the satellite link was working again.
In Brussels on Friday, Zelenskyy skipped comment on Trump remarks and thanked European leaders for backing. EU Council President Antonio Costa and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen vowed continued help, with von der Leyen saying Moscow never honored the energy pause and promising another sanctions package.
