Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived at a summit with European Union leaders in Brussels on Friday to secure critical winter funding and defence aid, amidst escalating verbal attacks from US President Donald Trump.
Speaking to media outlets, President Trump renewed his sharp criticism of the Ukrainian leader, asserting that Zelensky is “more difficult to deal with than [Russian President Vladimir] Putin” and characterising Ukraine’s renewed drone strikes on Russian oil refineries as a “disgrace.”
EU Leaders Back Ukraine Amid Ceasefire Dispute
The diplomatic rift centers around a temporary freeze on energy target strikes. Zelensky explained that while Ukraine had paused attacks for three days following a request from Washington, strikes were resumed because Moscow never halted its own bombardments.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, standing alongside Zelensky and European Council President António Costa, reaffirmed Europe’s unwavering commitment to Kyiv:
”Of course we supported President Trump’s energy ceasefire, but we’ve seen that Russia did not respect it, not a single minute. Russia escalated and therefore we have to increase sanctions on Russia… We will not lift any sanctions unless Russia stops the war.”
The summit agenda focuses heavily on bolstering Ukraine’s energy grid and military defences as the nation enters its fifth winter season since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
”Russia is trying everything to destroy the energy and water infrastructure, but we stand by your side, we support you as we did in the other winters,” von der Leyen added.
Rising Tensions Between Kyiv and Washington
President Trump expressed frustration over Ukraine’s targeting of Russian oil infrastructure, which comes shortly after the US announced a deal to import 300,000 tonnes of Russian diesel to help curb domestic fuel prices—a commercial move strongly criticized by Kyiv.
Tensions have been further heightened by recent bandwidth restrictions on the US-owned Starlink satellite internet network in Ukraine, which Ukrainian officials report disrupted battlefield communications during a series of deadly overnight Russian drone strikes in Kharkiv that injured at least 19 people.
Meanwhile, Ukraine launched massive counter-drone operations overnight, with Russian authorities confirming that over 600 Ukrainian drones were intercepted across 26 regions, temporarily closing Moscow airspace.
