Zelensky rallies European allies as US support for Ukraine wanes

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky sought Thursday to rally European allies after saying Kyiv would no longer abide by US President Donald Trump's demands not to strike Russian oil refineries.

Relations between Kyiv and Washington have soured since last week, when Trump eased sanctions on Russia in exchange for Moscow releasing large amounts of diesel onto global markets.

Anger in Ukraine has been further heightened by outages to a critical US-provided satellite system that has hampered its military's ability to counter Russia's intense bombardments.

Against the backdrop of his latest falling-out with Trump, Zelensky met NATO chief Mark Rutte in Brussels and held a string of bilateral meetings with European leaders before he was set to join an EU summit on Friday.

"All of us in Europe want this war to end. And for that to happen, strong signals are needed – more real pressure on Russia and more defence support for Ukraine," Zelensky wrote online.

"It is especially important now to act together to protect lives."

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European leaders have broadly thrown their support behind Zelensky, as they look to weather the latest storm in Trump's volatile relations with Kyiv.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said it was "crucial" that Ukraine receive "all the means necessary to protect itself" after meeting Zelensky.

"I can reassure you, dear Ukrainian friends and President Zelensky: YOU ARE NOT ALONE," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk posted online.

'Maximum destruction'

Zelensky has had to endure a rollercoaster relationship with Trump since the mercurial US leader returned to office last year.

In a move that risked infuriating Trump further, Zelensky told the Financial Times that Ukraine would no longer hold off targeting Russian refineries as Moscow was not abiding by a ceasefire on hitting energy infrastructure announced by the US leader.

As he met with Macron in Brussels, Zelensky said that the Kremlin had "launched yet another vile drone strike on Ukrainian energy infrastructure" in the city of Lutsk, causing blackouts.

"Russia has demonstratively disregarded the American president's proposal for an energy ceasefire. And now it is taking advantage of problems with Starlink operations to cause maximum destruction to everything that sustains everyday life," he wrote online.

The Kremlin meanwhile accused Ukraine of derailing US peace efforts by resuming its strikes on refineries, with Russian authorities reporting a drone attack on an oil refinery south of Moscow that caused a fire.

Kyiv "continues to launch strikes against these facilities," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"It is coming into serious conflict with the peace efforts of the United States and American negotiators, who are making vigorous efforts to initiate the peace process," he added.

In Kyiv, residents told AFP they sensed a change in Washington's attitude towards Ukraine.

"Let them live here for two to three days. All these nighttime attacks, what people here are going through – blackouts, no electricity. And then maybe he'll see all this differently," 30-year-old Alyona Nikitina said.

Russia has intensified its bombardment of Ukraine and its capital in recent months, leading to mounting civilian casualties and disrupting daily life for citizens.

Satellite row

Much of the outrage in Ukraine this week has been over restrictions to the Starshield satellite communications system that its military relies upon to detect incoming Russian attacks and to coordinate its frontline response.

Defence officials confirmed that the United States had threatened to withdraw intelligence-sharing if Ukraine continued long-range strikes on Russian oil refineries.

But tech billionaire Elon Musk, who has also called for Zelensky to be replaced as leader, said his SpaceX company was not behind any disruption to the Starshield system.

"Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government," he said.

"Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS," he added, referring to Trump.

Ukraine uses the Starshield system from Musk's SpaceX for battlefield communications, mid-range strikes on Russian-occupied territory and interceptor drones.

It is separate from the parallel Starlink civilian satellite system, which Ukraine also uses but not for offensive operations.

Speeds were slower on Wednesday, affecting connectivity, officials said.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)