Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pledged to restart strikes against Russian oil refineries in anger over what he said was the US withdrawal of intelligence support for Kyiv. Washington has pressed Zelenskyy to curb attacks on energy facilities, linking them to the rising price of US fuel in the run-up to midterm elections, where Republicans are expected to fare poorly.
The dispute between the countries has now erupted into a public row: US President Donald Trump called for Zelenskyy to be ousted, while the Ukrainian president, in an interview with the Financial Times, voiced frustration with his American counterpart’s warmth towards autocrats and blamed the White House for the deterioration in ties: “We didn’t destroy any relationship,” Zelenskyy told the FT.
— Prashant Rao