Trump calls Ukraine’s renewed Russian refinery strikes a ‘disgrace’ amid Kyiv-Washington rift

New Delhi: The United States president, Donald Trump, called Ukraine’s renewed attacks on Russian oil refineries a “disgrace” on Thursday, blaming them for higher fuel prices worldwide. He also said the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was harder to deal with than Russian president, Vladimir Putin, as a dispute over an unconfirmed energy truce deepened tensions between Washington and Kyiv.

“All he’s doing is making the world oil price higher. Well, I think that’s a disgrace,” Trump told Newsmax. “I think I find Zelenskyy to be more difficult to deal with than Putin,” he added. His criticism comes amid wider energy supply disruptions linked to the conflict in West Asia.

The remarks followed a Thursday Ukrainian drone strike on a Rosneft refinery in Russia’s Ryazan region, southeast of Moscow. Regional governor, Pavel Malkov confirmed the fire, while a senior Ukrainian official acknowledged Kyiv’s involvement.

Trump announced on October 11 that both sides had agreed to stop attacking energy infrastructure, but neither publicly confirmed accepting a truce on his terms. Kyiv said it briefly paused refinery strikes while Russian attacks on Ukrainian power facilities continued. Moscow disputed Ukraine’s account of the pause.

Zelenskyy subsequently said Ukraine would resume the strikes. As RNA Media reported earlier, he told the Financial Times: “We’re done.”

US diesel deal and satellite restrictions widen rift

Washington also authorized specified transactions involving Russian diesel under a US Treasury licence issued on October 9. Trump announced plans for more than 300,000 tonnes initially, followed by 500,000 tonnes in November and one million tonnes later. He argued additional supplies could ease prices, while Zelenskyy warned that Russian export revenue could support Moscow’s war effort.

Asked by British journalist Piers Morgan whether he felt betrayed by Trump, Zelenskyy replied, “Really, yes, between us.” He said Ukraine was losing a strong partner in Washington.

Ukrainian officials also reported restrictions affecting military satellite communications used for drone operations and battlefield coordination. Officials cited by Reuters said an instruction to limit SpaceX’s military-focused Starshield system originated inside the White House but did not identify who authorized it.

A senior US official denied that Trump had requested the restrictions. Britain’s defence secretary, said Washington had assured him the system was restored, although Ukrainian officials reported that speed limitations remained.

Russian strikes continue as Europe backs Ukraine

Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities left nearly 15,000 people in the Volyn region without electricity and disrupted supplies in parts of Kyiv, according to Zelenskyy. He raised Ukraine’s air-defence needs during meetings in Brussels, where he said further French military aviation support was expected this month.

European commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, accused Russia of disregarding the proposed energy ceasefire and pledged further pressure through a 22nd sanctions package. She said existing restrictions would remain until Moscow ended the war.

European council president, Antonio Costa, reaffirmed support for Ukraine’s defence and its European Union membership aspirations, while French president, Emmanuel Macron, called for continued military assistance. Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, also publicly expressed solidarity with Kyiv.

Neither Russia nor Ukraine has announced a mutually confirmed agreement to halt attacks on energy infrastructure.