The growing rift between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the administration of US President Donald Trump appeared last Thursday to be moving rapidly toward a “final break,” according to comments carried by Russian media.
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Zelensky’s sharp statements toward Washington, including accusing Trump of “betrayal” and saying he was “on the wrong side of history,” along with his decision to order the resumption of strikes on Russian oil refineries, reflected an escalating crisis that may be approaching a point of no return.
Moscow quickly seized on the situation, intensifying its rhetoric against the Ukrainian president and accusing him of “undermining the chances for peace and squandering the efforts of American negotiators.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that “US efforts to resolve the crisis in Ukraine are running into Kyiv’s unwillingness to establish peace.”
In a press briefing, Peskov said intensive US efforts to advance the peace process were facing what he described as uncompromising positions from Kyiv. He said the decision to launch new strikes against Russian oil refineries, despite US warnings and Trump’s proposed energy truce, clearly demonstrated that Ukraine was seeking to undermine American efforts.
“I would like to remind you of a statement by Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak,” Peskov said. “He said there had been no ceasefire on Ukraine’s part. Strikes against our oil refineries and energy facilities have continued in recent days, so there is nothing new here.”
He added that “the Kyiv regime, by continuing attacks on these energy facilities, is undoubtedly coming into serious conflict with the peace efforts being undertaken by the United States, namely the American negotiators, who are in fact making very intensive efforts to move the peace process forward in one way or another.”
Trump had explicitly called on Zelensky to stop targeting Russian oil refineries, arguing that such attacks destabilize global energy markets. Media reports also said Washington could halt intelligence sharing with Ukraine and cut off its Starlink communications if Kyiv persisted in attacking Russian refineries.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described Zelensky’s position on the “diesel deal” between Moscow and Washington as a “direct and explicit challenge to Trump.”
Speaking after the summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia in Baku, Lavrov said: “The deal was proposed and we supported it, but Mr. Zelensky repeatedly said that I should not be bothered with this diesel deal and that I should instead be supplied with Patriot missiles. I need to continue attacking Russia’s energy sector, including oil refineries.”
Lavrov said such behavior had become familiar from the head of the Kyiv regime, whom he accused of believing that “the whole world owes him something” and that he was not required to do anything in return. He said Zelensky’s position demonstrated an unwillingness to take any constructive action.
On Thursday night, Zelensky issued a series of sharp political statements that reflected the depth of the growing tensions and widening strategic rift with Washington. He said he personally felt “betrayed” following the US announcement of a trade and political agreement to purchase diesel fuel from Russia, warning that “losing a strong American partner weakens the Ukrainian front in the face of escalating Russian attacks.”
In a televised interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan, Zelensky said the Trump administration’s move toward an agreement with the Kremlin to reduce energy costs ahead of the US midterm elections represented “taking one side and standing on the wrong side of history.” He stressed that, for Kyiv, the issue was not merely about commercial deals but about the survival of the state and the protection of children and civilians.
The political dispute coincided with explicit warnings from Washington that it could halt the exchange of vital intelligence and obstruct purchases of US weapons through European partners if Ukrainian forces continued targeting oil refineries and energy infrastructure deep inside Russia.
US intelligence is considered critically important to Ukrainian command centers and air defense systems, providing early warnings about ballistic missile launch platforms and helping determine the trajectories and timing of attacks before they reach their targets.
Amid the collapse of the expected “energy truce” and continued Russian strikes that left more than 600,000 people without electricity, Zelensky intensified his diplomatic efforts in London, where he held high-level talks with Prime Minister Andy Burnham and King Charles, seeking alternatives for weapons, intelligence and financial support to compensate for the sharp decline in field coordination with Washington.
Zelensky’s subsequent announcement that strikes on Russian oil refineries would resume represented a direct and serious challenge to Trump.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Zelensky said: “The ban has been lifted. I have informed the military,” a day after Ukraine attempted to target two refineries in the Ryazan and Saratov regions.
Trump had announced the previous Sunday that an “energy sector ceasefire” between Russia and Ukraine had taken effect immediately. Axios quoted a White House official as saying that, according to Trump’s understanding, the truce was limited to stopping reciprocal attacks on oil refineries.
While Moscow said it was “discussing the details of the truce” with the United States, it continued carrying out extensive strikes against electricity and energy infrastructure in Ukraine.
Zelensky, for his part, said Ukraine had refrained from striking Russian refineries and energy facilities since Trump announced the truce, accusing Russia of continuing to target Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Two days later, however, he announced that strikes on Russian energy facilities would resume.
Meanwhile, Starlink provider SpaceX became directly involved in the crisis between Washington and Kyiv following official Ukrainian reports that the service had been slowed over the previous two days, severely affecting Ukraine’s air defense system.
The Telegraph reported that Ukrainian forces had been forced to cancel a number of drone missions after Starlink service was slowed. The newspaper said drone operators had detected severe communication disruptions with fast-moving drones lasting between 10 and 20 seconds, affecting the operation of drones that rely on Starlink for in-flight control.
The disruptions prompted Ukrainian forces to cancel some missions, as large numbers of drones became easy targets for Russian forces. Zelensky warned of the consequences of disrupting Starlink services, describing the move as a “grave mistake” that could result in heavy losses. He said restrictions on the service in Ukraine were hindering drone operations, including their use in air defense missions.
In another report, the newspaper said the slowdown had affected Ukraine’s ability to carry out medium-range strikes, as well as its use of interceptor drones to counter long-range Russian attacks.
Although Washington officially denied reducing intelligence cooperation with Kyiv or cutting off the information support provided through Starlink, US businessman Elon Musk justified the development the previous day by saying that “satellite communications are intended only for civilian and defensive purposes.”
Musk, the chief executive of SpaceX, said Starlink was a commercial service owned and controlled by the company, stressing that its use was limited to civilian or defensive activities and did not include offensive military operations, which he said were inconsistent with the nature of the commercial service.
The businessman, whose relationship with Trump has fluctuated, said the two men’s negative positions toward Zelensky appeared to be aligned. On Thursday, Musk renewed his call for the Ukrainian president to step down, shortly after saying that any slowdown in the satellite internet service his company provides in Ukraine was attributable to the US military and, therefore, to President Donald Trump.
“It is time for Zelensky to leave,” the SpaceX chief said. Writing on his X platform, he said that if Zelensky remained in office, “the slaughter continues,” adding: “It is time for Zelensky to leave power and for Ukraine to choose new leadership capable of advancing the peace process.”
Source: Agencies
