Zelensky rallies European allies as Trump ties slump
Ukraine's Zelensky defies Trump with Russian refinery strikes
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to rally European allies at a Brussels summit on Friday following his decision to cease strikes against Russian oil refineries, defying US President Donald Trump's demands. Tensions between Kyiv and Washington have escalated since Trump eased sanctions on Russia, allowing the country to release large amounts of diesel into global markets.
This move has further strained relations as Ukraine has experienced outages to a critical US-provided satellite system, limiting its military capabilities against Russia's aggressive bombardments. Zelensky recently expressed his frustration in the Financial Times, stating that the ceasefire on hitting energy infrastructure was not being honored by Moscow.
Trump responded by branding the renewed Ukrainian attacks a "disgrace" and attributing rising global energy prices to Kyiv's actions. European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, have rallied their support behind Zelensky, emphasizing the need for strong signals to end the conflict.
NATO chief Mark Rutte met with Zelensky in Brussels, as did Ukrainian President at an EU summit on Friday. Zelensky highlighted the Kremlin's disregard for the US proposal for an energy ceasefire and accused Russia of exploiting Starlink communication disruptions to cause maximum destruction. Meanwhile, the Kremlin accused Ukraine of derailing US peace efforts by resuming strikes against refineries.
In Kyiv, residents expressed a change in Washington's attitude towards Ukraine, with one person commenting that witnessing the constant nighttime attacks might change Trump's perspective.
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