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Relations between Ukraine and the United States are under growing strain over intelligence sharing, sanctions, Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure and the route to peace, according to CNN.
Mutual distrust between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also appears to be deepening. Over the weekend, Kyiv launched one of its biggest drone attacks on Russia this year, striking a key oil terminal despite Trump’s demand that Ukraine stop targeting Russian refineries.
The White House is seeking to ease pressure on US oil and diesel prices ahead of crucial midterm elections. Diesel prices are at a record high.
Last week, Trump called Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries a “disgrace” and said Zelensky was more difficult to deal with than Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a Sunday interview, Zelensky responded that it was “better to have partners who are very open and clear than to have those who are killers, even with a smile on their face,” apparently referring to Trump’s relationship with Russia.
Trump criticized Zelensky again on Sunday, writing in a Truth Social post that he “doesn’t want to end this war, and probably never did.” Relations now appear to be at their lowest point since an explosive meeting at the White House 18 months ago.
Zelensky has repeatedly said he is open to peace negotiations if Ukraine’s security can be guaranteed. He said he spoke on Sunday with US envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner as part of “nonstop communication” aimed at achieving peace.
“We are doing everything on our part to make this happen, and to ensure that America’s position is strong and helps bring peace closer,” Zelensky wrote on X. On Monday, he added: “Ukraine never wanted this war, and we have welcomed literally EVERY attempt by our partners to bring this war to a dignified end.”
Trump has defended recent concessions to Russia on sanctions, including a waiver allowing Russian diesel exports and another exempting Russia from broad economic penalties mandated by the US Congress.
“I am in the process of negotiating Peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and don’t want to do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table,” Trump wrote on Sunday.
In an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Zelensky said the waivers strengthened Putin’s war against Ukraine while Russian forces were failing on the battlefield.
Kyiv objects to possible US-China-Russia meeting
Kyiv and European capitals are increasingly concerned that the Trump administration could make further concessions to Moscow to persuade Putin to accept a peace deal.
Zelensky told “Meet the Press” that the United States siding with Russia would be a “historic mistake.” He said he wanted to trust Trump and hoped the US president would change his attitude towards Putin. Asked whether Trump was an ally of Ukraine, Zelensky said: “I hope so.”
Ukraine is also troubled by reports of a possible three-way meeting next month involving the United States and China to discuss resolving the conflict, without Ukraine’s participation.
“I think there’s been talk of a meeting. I don’t know if anything’s been finalized,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during a visit to Uzbekistan on Monday.
Such a meeting would not help peace and “would do only the opposite: encourage Putin to continue this war,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said on Monday. “Inviting Putin to such a meeting would feed his appetite for self-aggrandizement and give him a stature he does not deserve,” Sybiha wrote on X.
The Kremlin said on Monday that “no concrete proposals or agreements – neither regarding the meeting itself nor its potential agenda and content – have been discussed or put forward by anyone.”
Ukraine continues strikes as intelligence dispute grows
Ukraine has continued long-range strikes inside Russia despite Trump’s demands. One weekend target was the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal, which can handle up to 12.5 million tons per year. “Fire Point”, the Ukrainian company that makes the drones used in the attack, said a fire broke out on the terminal grounds after the strike.
A logistics centre in St. Petersburg was also attacked, according to Russian distribution company “Ozon”, as was a data centre belonging to Russian social media platform “VKontakte”. Local authorities said one person was killed and five wounded in the attacks, and that residential homes were damaged.
A week earlier, Trump said Russia and Ukraine had agreed to stop attacking each other’s energy infrastructure. Neither Kyiv nor Moscow acknowledged such an agreement. Ukraine briefly halted the attacks, but Russia continued strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities and cities.
“Since the American President announced the energy ceasefire a week ago, Russia has deliberately attacked Ukraine’s energy and oil and gas sectors 76 times,” Zelensky wrote on X on Sunday.
Disputes have also emerged over cuts to US satellite intelligence provided to Ukraine’s military. Zelensky said on Sunday that changes to the “Starlink” system owned by Elon Musk were limiting the speed of Ukraine’s short-range and battlefield drones, describing the changes as a “message from the American government.”
The Trump administration has denied ordering restrictions on the service. It has also rejected Kyiv’s accusations that intelligence about incoming ballistic missiles is not being shared.
Zelensky said on Monday that Kyiv had received no advance warning of ballistic missile attacks on Sunday night, which he said had happened multiple times during the previous week.
“Another Russian ballistic missile attack came in several waves overnight, and once again, there was no early warning from our partners,” he wrote.
US satellite networks are critical to providing the Ukrainian military with warnings of incoming missiles. Russian ballistic missile attacks are aimed at disrupting civilian life and destroying essential infrastructure.
“I don’t know where he’s getting these things or why he’s saying these things to the press,” Rubio told reporters on Monday. “You should go back and ask him. There’s been no pause.”
“What he should be focused on, and what we want to be focused on, is bringing an end to this war. That’s what he should be focused on,” Rubio said of Zelensky.
Kyiv and Washington have sharply different views on how to achieve that goal.
