‘DISGRACE’? The Ukrainian president said that Kyiv was abandoning the energy ceasefire that Trump had announced, as Russian airstrikes continued
Reuters, BRUSSELS and KYIV
EU leaders yesterday rallied around Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at a summit as US President Donald Trump fired another salvo at Kyiv, calling its strikes on Russian refineries a “disgrace.”
The bloc is hosting Zelenskiy in Brussels at one of the most difficult moments for Ukraine, with missiles and drones raining down on Ukrainian cities and fears that the US could pull back intelligence sharing and weapons support from Kyiv.
Trump blindsided Zelenskiy last weekend by announcing that Ukraine and Russia had agreed not to target each other’s energy facilities. Facing US midterm elections next month, Trump has blamed Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries for pushing up energy prices that could cost him at the ballot box.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, center, addresses a press conference on the second day of a two-day European Council summit in Brussels yesterday.
Photo: EPA
The US has also struck a diesel deal with Russia, angering Ukraine and European allies.
“We want to end this war as quick as possible. We don’t see now signals from the Russian side that they are ready for this, to end this war. That’s why we have to prepare for the winter,” Zelenskiy said as he arrived at the summit, hugging many of the leaders as he met them.
“The winter package is not only energy, it’s also air defense and funding,” he said.
In the latest attacks, Russian drone strikes on the city of Kharkiv killed three people, while strikes elsewhere left hundreds of thousands of people without power.
In an interview, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said that the EU would probably have to provide a new loan to Ukraine to help cover its budget gap for next year.
“Last winter was already hell, this one will be once again like hell,” Michal said.
“We have a lot of gaps to fill, and this is a European mission to fill the gaps that Ukraine needs. Because always, at the start [and] at the end of every conversation, people need to be reminded that we are sitting in a warm room, lights are on, heating is on, the coffee is warm, and we cannot get tired of the war in Ukraine, because they are fighting ... for us,” he said.
Ukraine’s leadership has been alarmed by disruptions to the SpaceX Starshield satellite system used by Kyiv for battlefield communications and drone operations. A source in Ukraine’s defense ministry on Thursday said that Starshield receptors were only working at speeds of up to 160kph, complicating their use for military missions.
A US official has denied that Trump ordered a deliberate slowdown of Starshield, which is the military-grade version of the Starlink service operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, and Trump this week said that intelligence sharing with Ukraine continued.
Europe does not have a ready-made alternative to Starlink, although European governments and companies are working on long-term options.
“Starlink is really necessary for Ukraine. And unfortunately, in short term, Europe can’t replace this capability,” EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said.
“We are working on the new sanctions package to put the pressure on Russia, and we of course hope that we do this with all our partners around the world,” she said.
Ukraine struck a Russian oil refinery after Zelenskiy said that Kyiv was abandoning the energy ceasefire that Trump had announced.
“All he’s doing is making the world oil price higher. Well, I think that’s a disgrace,” Trump said in an interview with the Newsmax news outlet.