U.S. President Donald Trump launched a new attack against Volodymyr Zelenskyy, calling the resumption of Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries a “disgrace” and accusing his Ukrainian counterpart of driving up international oil prices.
In an interview with the American television network Newsmax, Trump argued that it is harder to work with Zelenskyy than with Russian President Vladimir Putin, while also questioning Kyiv’s genuine intention to reach an agreement to end the war.
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“It’s a shame—there are so many other targets”
The U.S. president’s remarks came after a Ukrainian drone attack on an oil refinery in Russia’s Ryazan region, which marked the first strike on a Russian energy facility since Trump’s announcement on Sunday that Moscow and Kyiv had agreed to an energy ceasefire.
When asked about the resumption of attacks, Trump expressed his strong displeasure, linking the Ukrainian strikes to rising fuel prices.
“It’s a disgrace! There are so many other targets,” he told Newsmax, before going on to personally blame Zelenskyy for the attacks’ impact on the global energy market.
“All he’s doing is driving up oil prices worldwide,” the U.S. president said pointedly.
“Zelenskyy doesn’t really want a deal”
Trump did not limit himself to criticizing the attacks on Russian energy infrastructure; he also questioned the Ukrainian president’s willingness to reach an agreement with Moscow.
“It’s harder to work with Zelensky than with Putin,” he argued, adding that the Ukrainian president “doesn’t want to reach an agreement. He says he wants to, but in reality he doesn’t.”
These statements intensify the public dispute between Washington and Kyiv regarding the continuation of Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy targets, as well as the conditions for reaching an agreement.
Zelenskyy: “Don’t side with the aggressor”
On Thursday (Oct. 15), Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine is resuming attacks on Russian refineries, despite the energy ceasefire announced by Trump.
The Ukrainian president made it clear that Kyiv does not intend to continue suspending operations against Russian energy facilities, while directly appealing to his American counterpart not to side with the “aggressor,” referring to Russia.
The resumption of Ukrainian strikes and Trump’s reaction highlight the disagreement between the two sides regarding the advisability of attacks on energy infrastructure, while the question of reaching a peace agreement remains unresolved.
Source: Proto Thema
