Burning bridges and Russian oil refineries alike, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a new interview that he will no longer accept President Donald Trump’s demand that Ukraine refrain from attacking Russia’s energy sector.
On Saturday, Trump vented his anger at Ukraine’s leader for attacking Russian refineries, as well as for his criticism of a deal between the U.S. and Russia to allow Russia to sell diesel fuel.
“I suggest they get a new leader,” Trump said.
Trump then declared that both Russia and Ukraine agreed not to attack each other’s energy infrastructure, according to NBC News. Zelenskyy has insisted Russia did not abide by the agreement.
That led to a declaration in a Financial Times interview that enough was enough.
Zelenskyy was quoted as saying that “the block” on attacking refineries “is out.” He added, “We’re done.”
NBC News reported that hours after the interview, a Russian refinery was ablaze.
During the interview, Zelenskyy was asked about Trump’s relationship with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
“I think President Trump is such a man that he’s — he speaks about it, I mean openly and loudly, that he loves such people and he respects such people,” Zelenskyy said in a clip of the Financial Times interview posted on X.
He said he was not comparing Trump, Putin, and tech guru Elon Musk, but said, “I think they are in, how do you say it, one restaurant.”
As noted by NBC News, Zelenskyy’s comments came as Ukraine was temporarily unable to access Starshield — the military adaptation of SpaceX’s Starlink.
Zelenskyy noted that Russia launched a massive drone attack on Ukraine Wednesday “and this comes precisely at a time when the speed of our defensive capabilities is being artificially restricted,” referring to Starlink.
In his Financial Times interview, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian officials were told that “if you will not stop” the energy strikes, “we will block intelligence.”
In a separate interview, he was asked if he believed the loss of satellite information was deliberate and whether he felt betrayed by Trump, according to The Guardian.
“Really, yes… but it’s a little bit more complicated than just my emotions or my feelings,” he said. “It’s a pity that we are losing, we are losing a strong partner.”
“I am sure they knew what they did, absolutely. Because it was 1 a.m. at night, Starlink was blocked by SpaceX and the United States,” Zelenskyy said. “This decision will bring a lot of human losses… of course, people will die.”
Musk said later that “Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government.”
“Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS,” he added.
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‘We’re done’: Zelenskyy publicly defies Trump with new strikes, then insults him