Adnkronos (Adnkronos) –
A new clash and exchange of accusations between Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump. Tense relations between Ukraine and the United States have resulted in a long-distance exchange, with yet another attack from the American president. Zelensky, Trump writes in Truth, "doesn't want to end this war" with Russia, "and probably never did. He could have gotten a better deal two years ago than he can get now," while "I want this war to end."
The White House chief explained that he was committed "to the process of negotiating peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine" and that he did not want "to do anything that could foolishly push Russia away from the negotiating table."
“Great progress is being made, and that includes the ongoing prisoner negotiations,” Trump says.
"Russia is doing very little, if anything, to help the Islamic Republic of Iran compared to what it could do. And I want to keep it that way, and I will. Unless stupid people get in the way." According to Trump, "Zelensky is targeting diesel refineries in Russia, knowing that these attacks are seriously damaging global diesel markets, including those in the United States.
"Farmers, ranchers, and businesses of all kinds are suffering greatly from this, but Russia, nonetheless, is sending millions of barrels of diesel to the world at a low price," he says, reiterating the theory that Ukrainian attacks on Russian plants are affecting diesel prices. "Zelensky doesn't care. And frankly, with all the money Europe is giving him and that Joe Biden has given him in the past, he doesn't want to end this war. He probably never wanted to," he accuses the Ukrainian president.
In Kiev, Zelensky paints an obviously different picture. It's Trump, the Ukrainian president says, who wants the country attacked by Russia to surrender. Zelensky's picture is taking shape with the steps Washington has taken in recent days. First, the agreement with Vladimir Putin to supply Russian diesel to the US, then Trump's decision to lift sanctions against Moscow. "I believe steps have been taken to persuade Ukraine to capitulate," Zelensky said in an interview with Bloomberg, which was reported by Ukrainian media. "I'm not saying that this is the goal our partners are pursuing. I don't want to think that our American partners believe the war can end sooner at Ukraine's expense. But that's the impression they get."
Zelensky obviously cannot and does not want to interrupt dialogue with the United States. On Sunday, the Ukrainian president met with American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to discuss the next diplomatic steps toward a possible resolution to the conflict. "Peace comes only through strength and cooperation based on trust. We are doing everything we can to make this happen and to ensure that America's position is strong and contributes to bringing peace closer," Zelensky wrote on X, emphasizing that this is a peace that "everyone, except Russia, has been waiting for for over four and a half years."
During the meeting, the results of the recent meeting between the American and Ukrainian delegations in Florida were reviewed: the two teams maintain "virtually uninterrupted" contact and are preparing new diplomatic initiatives. "We constantly inform our partners about the real situation regarding Russian attacks, which never stop, and about air defense issues," Zelensky explained, reiterating that "much depends precisely on America's position. Ukraine remains ready to work constructively, honestly, and oriented toward a concrete result."
Zelensky has long proposed a deal to halt attacks on Russian refineries, a particularly sensitive issue for Trump, in exchange for additional missiles for Patriot air defense systems. "My last proposal was this: we don't target Russian diesel; you give us missiles for Patriot systems to protect our infrastructure. But they just want us to stop attacking diesel. And if we target it, they'll disconnect us from something," he explained, further accusing the United States of deliberately slowing Starlink satellite connections and delaying deliveries of Patriot interceptor missiles already paid for by Kiev. "Some of the supplies have been authorized by the American side, while the rest have not. And it's not a technical issue," Zelensky denounced, specifying that Washington is only supplying 12 Patriot interceptors per month, about a quarter of the amount the Biden administration has provided.
There's no shortage of reasons for a decline in trust in the US. Kiev is also grappling with restrictions imposed on the Starshield satellite system, the military version of Starlink used by Ukraine to counter Russian drone attacks. The suspension was physically ordered by SpaceX, Elon Musk's company, following a "message from the US government." Speaking to NBC, Zelensky declared that the decision was signed by Trump and Musk: the Kiev leader believes "both" are involved. If Trump decides to lift the restrictions tomorrow, the system "would immediately return to normal operation."
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