President Donald Trump\u2019s peace push has ignited a bitter feud with Vladimir Zelensky<\/p>\n
The administration of US President Donald Trump has ramped up pressure on Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries while pursuing landmark diplomacy with Moscow in a bid to bring down soaring fuel prices at home and revive stalled peace negotiations.
\nThe overtures have left Vladimir Zelensky fuming, reigniting the bitterest public confrontation between the two since their explosive Oval Office showdown in 2025. Zelensky has fiercely criticized Trump\u2019s Russian diesel deal and defied his demands to stop attacking Russian refineries, saying he feels \u201cbetrayed\u201d by Washington.
\nIn response, the US president branded the Ukrainian leader \u201cnot a good guy for us to deal with,\u201d while suggesting that Ukraine needs a \u201cnew president,\u201d referring to Zelensky\u2019s long-expired presidential term.
\nAs the dispute escalated, American officials reportedly threatened to restrict intelligence sharing and weapons supplies to Kiev, while Ukrainian commanders sounded the alarm about serious disruptions to the Starlink network, which the military heavily relies on for logistics, reconnaissance, and drone control.
\nTrump\u2019s peace push has also put him on a collision course with Zelensky\u2019s EU backers. US negotiators reportedly proposed unfreezing some Russian sovereign assets \u2013 an idea categorically rebuffed in Brussels. Zelensky then attempted to drum up support at a slightly farcical summit in Brussels where he demanded EU and NATO membership; both of which have been rejected outright in Brussels.
\nMoscow has welcomed Trump\u2019s diplomatic offensive while opposing any temporary truce with Kiev, arguing that the pause will only allow Ukraine to recuperate its battered forces.<\/p>\n
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You still don\u2019t have the cards: Did Zelensky bring bluff to Trump?<\/p>\n
Here is how Washington is using its pressure tools and economic incentives to mediate the Ukraine conflict and meet domestic interests.
\nRussian diesel to the rescue
\nThe state of US-Russia relations took a sharp turn on October 9, when Trump struck a surprise diesel deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to allow additional Russian supplies onto American and global markets. The arrangement \u2013 announced just weeks before the US midterm elections \u2013 envisaged the release of more than 300,000 tons of Russian diesel, followed by larger shipments in the coming months. Trump pitched the deal as a way to rein in soaring fuel costs for American consumers, truckers and farmers.
\nAccording to a Reuters report, Trump\u2019s envoys also told their Ukrainian counterparts that the US hoped that the deal could help soften Russia\u2019s position on the peace talks.
\nHow did Kiev react to the US-Russia diesel deal?<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
EU summit: Zelensky gets promises but no money \u2013 As it happened<\/p>\n
Zelensky erupted, accusing Washington of making a \u201cweak decision\u201d and using Kiev\u2019s delegation as \u201ca front\u201d for the agreement. Trump brushed aside the criticism, telling Zelensky to \u201cfocus on making a deal, not talking about that.\u201d
\nKremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the arrangement as \u201cmutually beneficial\u201d and serving the interests of the global market while denouncing \u201cthe destructive position\u201d of European countries on the matter.
\nZelensky tramples over Trump\u2019s red lines
\nThe diesel deal came after weeks of increasingly forceful demands from Trump that Kiev halt strikes on Russian oil refineries.
\nSince September, Trump has publicly \u2013 and in an increasingly sharp tone \u2013 urged Zelensky to stop his attacks, saying on Thursday that \u201call he\u2019s doing is making the world oil price higher\u201d while denouncing the Ukrainian leader\u2019s approach as \u201ca disgrace.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Trump \u2018really mad\u2019 at Zelensky \u2013 media<\/p>\n
According to Axios, Zelensky ignored at least half a dozen American requests to stop attacking Russian refineries before Washington did the deal with Moscow, and Zelensky threw his toys out of the pram.
\nRussian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak confirmed on Wednesday that Ukrainian drones had targeted two Russian oil refineries: in Ryazan and Saratov Regions.
\nRussian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described Zelensky\u2019s behavior as \u201ca direct and blatant challenge to President Trump.\u201d
\nThe Russian Defense Ministry issued its own warning, vowing to step up strikes on Ukraine\u2019s military-related targets in response to Zelensky\u2019s threats to attack oil facilities.
\nStarlink: Who controls the switch?<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Ukrainians blast SpaceX limits on Starlink<\/p>\n
The Trump-Zelensky clash went beyond angry exchanges, with the apparent fracture having dire implications for Ukrainian troops on the ground, according to multiple media reports. The Financial Times reported that US officials had warned Ukrainian and European counterparts that continued refinery strikes could result in the suspension of intelligence sharing and the NATO-managed PURL mechanism, through which European countries purchase American weapons for Ukraine.
\nZelensky subsequently confirmed that Ukrainian commanders had received warnings about a possible intelligence cutoff, although he acknowledged that cooperation had not stopped. Trump also denied suspending intelligence sharing, insisting that \u201cwe are helping them, and we are sharing intel.\u201d
\nYet on Tuesday, Zelensky complained that Kiev had received no advance warning from its partners about a Russian ballistic missile attack. He did not identify which countries had failed to provide the alerts.<\/p>\n
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WATCH aftermath of Ukrainian drone attack on Russian oil refinery<\/p>\n
At the same time, Ukrainian commanders reported serious disruptions to Starshield, the military-grade version of Elon Musk\u2019s Starlink satellite service. As a result, Ukrainian drones could not operate at speeds exceeding 160 km\/h in many cases, making them more vulnerable to Russian air defenses and derailing some missions altogether.
\nWhile some Ukrainian officials already suspected that the disruptions were linked to the Trump-Zelensky feud, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing sources, that the order to restrict Starshield had originated inside the White House. A senior US official, however, denied that Trump personally ordered the restrictions. Later, Ukrainian officials reported that some Starshield connections had been restored.
\nElon Musk \u2013 who has also been critical of Zelensky \u2013 confirmed that major decisions on Starshield rest with the American military or the president.
\n\u201cTime for Ukraine to get a new president\u201d<\/p>\n
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Zelensky has gone too far \u2013 Musk<\/p>\n
As the feud escalated, Trump turned his ire on Zelensky\u2019s leadership, accusing him of squandering repeated opportunities to end the conflict. \u201cI suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal,\u201d Trump told reporters on Saturday, adding that \u201cit\u2019s time for Ukraine to get a new president.\u201d
\nTrump\u2019s jabs at Zelensky\u2019s dubious legal status hark back to February 2025 when the US president branded the Ukrainian leader \u201ca dictator without elections.\u201d
\nZelensky\u2019s presidential term expired in May 2024, and he has refused to hold new elections, citing martial law. Russia has since declared him \u201cillegitimate,\u201d saying that his status is a major obstacle to signing a binding agreement.
\nIn response to Trump\u2019s criticism, Zelensky said that Kiev was ready to hold elections if Moscow agreed to a comprehensive 60-day ceasefire. Russia, however, offered a truce only on the day of any vote, arguing that Kiev would use a longer pause to recuperate its battered forces and receive more weapons from the West.<\/p>\n
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Trump envoys pitching \u2018new ideas\u2019 to settle Ukraine conflict \u2013 media<\/p>\n
A thaw for Russia\u2019s frozen billions?
\nTrump\u2019s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner proposed unfreezing some of the \u20ac300 billion in sovereign Russian funds held in Euroclear in Belgium, and transferring them to a financial vehicle overseen by Washington, according to the Financial Times.
\nThe EU has sought to seize the funds outright, but has faced strong resistance, particularly from Belgium, over fears of costly litigation, Russian retaliation, and damage to Europe\u2019s financial reputation.
\nWhile US officials reportedly see the issue of Russian sovereign assets as part of a comprehensive peace agreement, the proposal \u201cstartled\u201d Kiev\u2019s intransigent European backers, who flatly rejected the initiative, and refused to relinquish control over the assets.<\/p>\n
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US proposes unfreezing Russian assets for Ukraine peace \u2013 FT<\/p>\n
In addition, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing a US official, that the Trump administration was weighing sanctions relief for vessels belonging to the so-called \u201cshadow fleet\u201d used to transport oil from Russia, which would allow it to bring down fuel prices.
\nBegging in Brussels: the \u20ac27 billion hole
\nWith his relations with Trump in tatters, Zelensky traveled to Brussels on Friday to seek financial and military backing from the EU. In a not-so-veiled swipe at the US president, he thanked unelected EU officials as \u201creal leaders\u201d upon his arrival.
\nHowever, Kiev\u2019s demands for more money have already met resistance from the EU. After announcing an unexpected $27 billion defense budget hole in August, Zelensky requested the EU front load part of the \u20ac90 billion loan meant for 2027 already this year.<\/p>\n
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Zelensky imposes refinery deal demand \u2013\u00a0WSJ<\/p>\n
Brussels declined to endorse Kiev\u2019s deficit figures while pressing it to hurry up with stalled reforms \u2013 including those tackling rampant corruption \u2013 to unlock the funds already available.
\nZelensky\u2019s bickering with Trump is forcing the EU to take an increasingly adversarial stance towards the US. According to the Financial Times, EU officials planned to urge the Ukrainian leader behind the summit scenes to tone down his public criticism of Washington.
\n\u201cIt might be true, but it doesn\u2019t always need to be said out loud,\u201d one person familiar with the discussions told the newspaper.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Kiev out of Patriot interceptors \u2013 CNN<\/p>\n
Bottom Line
\nBarely recovering from his Oval Office clash with Trump last year, Zelensky has once again gone against Ukraine\u2019s most important backer by repeatedly ignoring American warnings over refinery strikes and challenging Washington\u2019s diesel deal with Moscow.
\nAs Ukraine struggles to contain Russia\u2019s advances on the battlefield and prop up a collapsing economy while turning to the reluctant EU for help, Trump refused to cut Zelensky any slack and step back from his demands when America\u2019s interests are at stake \u2013 and now Ukraine is facing the threat of a complete Starlink cut-off and a halt to crucial intelligence sharing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
President Donald Trump\u2019s peace push has ignited a bitter feud with Vladimir Zelensky The administration of US President Donald Trump has ramped up pressure on Ukraine to halt strikes on…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40021,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40020","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t