Zelensky defies US president to resume strikes on Russian energy infrastructure
Ukraine has given up on Donald Trump’s “energy ceasefire” with Russia, as Volodymyr Zelensky has declared that “we’re done” supporting it.
Kyiv’s forces struck Russian oil refineries on Thursday, defying the US president and his ceasefire. Russian president Vladimir Putin vowed to retaliate.
Trump said Ukraine’s resumption of strikes on Russian refineries was a ‘disgrace’ that would keep global energy prices elevated. “I’m not a big fan of Zelensky,” he told Newsmax. “I think they actually both would like to see it end, but I think I find Zelenskiy to be more difficult to deal with than Putin.”
After Trump’s surprise announcement on Sunday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to halt attacks on energy infrastructure, Kyiv had suspended strikes on Russian refineries, which Trump blamed for raising global diesel prices.
But in the days that followed, Russia was accused of launching missile and drone strikes on energy targets such as power stations.
In an interview with the Financial Times on Thursday, Zelensky, who met British prime minister Andy Burnham this week, said Ukraine’s patience with the “energy ceasefire” had run out.