New Delhi: The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, defended his country’s right to respond to Russian attacks on Friday after the United States president, Donald Trump, condemned Ukraine’s renewed strikes on Russian oil refineries. Trump had called the strikes a “disgrace”.
Speaking in Brussels, Zelenskyy also sought at least €70 billion in additional European funding for 2027 as Russian drone attacks killed three civilians and disrupted electricity supplies across Ukraine.
Addressing European Union leaders, Zelenskyy estimated Ukraine’s war-related expenditure next year at €155 billion and said the additional funding would support defence, weapons and national resilience. He said Ukraine could double or triple production of certain types of drones if further financing became available.
Zelenskyy defended his opposition to Washington’s Russian diesel arrangement, warning that it would provide Moscow with additional revenue to finance the war and could be followed by a similar agreement involving natural gas. “If I don’t stand up to this … who else will?” he asked. Arriving in Brussels, he thanked European leaders for their support, describing them as “real leaders” amid growing tensions with Washington.
Russian drone strikes killed two people in Kharkiv and one in the northwestern Volyn region on Friday, according to Ukrainian authorities. The country’s energy ministry said repair teams had restored electricity to more than one million people affected by attacks nationwide, although the number still without power remained unclear.
In Volyn alone, 370,000 people initially lost electricity, the regional governor said. Separate strikes damaged shopping centres in Sumy and Rivne, where officials also reported injuries.
Ukraine’s air-defence shortages have added urgency to Zelenskyy’s appeal for European assistance ahead of winter. He said Kyiv remained critically short of American-made Patriot missile interceptors needed to protect its cities against Russian attacks.
Although he believed Europe possessed sufficient interceptor stocks, obtaining them remained difficult, with supplies arriving in small quantities.
European council president, Antonio Costa, reaffirmed support for Ukraine and opposed relaxing sanctions on Moscow. European commission president Ursula von der Leyen announced preparations for a 22nd sanctions package, saying existing restrictions would remain until Russia ended the war.
US diesel deal and disputed energy ceasefire widen tensions
Trump announced on Sunday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to halt attacks on energy infrastructure, although neither publicly confirmed accepting a ceasefire on his terms.
Kyiv said it suspended refinery strikes for three days before resuming them after continued Russian attacks on its power network. A Ukrainian drone subsequently struck a refinery in Russia’s Ryazan region on Thursday, triggering a fire.
Trump blamed Ukrainian refinery strikes for contributing to higher global fuel prices. As RNA Media reported earlier, his criticism intensified disagreements over Washington’s Russian diesel arrangement, which Zelenskyy warned could generate additional revenue for Moscow’s military campaign.
The Kremlin backed Trump’s criticism, accusing Zelenskyy of obstructing peace efforts. Kyiv rejected that position, maintaining that Russia had shown no willingness to negotiate an end to the conflict.
Military cooperation has also come under strain following restrictions affecting Ukraine’s battlefield satellite communications. Zelenskyy described the slowdown as a “very dangerous and unpleasant surprise”, saying services had still not fully returned to normal. Ukrainian officials also complained about inadequate advance warning of Russian attacks during the disruption.
Washington had previously warned that continued Ukrainian refinery strikes could jeopardize intelligence-sharing, although it has not confirmed suspending that assistance.
European leaders discussed additional financial and military assistance, but no agreement on Kyiv’s €70 billion request or a mutually accepted energy ceasefire was announced.