Zelenskyy defends attacking Russian refineries after Trump demands he stop

He said Ukraine "will organize elections" if Russia abides by a 60-day ceasefire

October 11, 2026, 9:52 AM

After President Donald Trump demanded that Ukraine stop striking Russian oil refineries, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy defended the attacks in an exclusive interview with ABC News, saying his country is responding to repeated Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

"I said it to President Trump … to his team and to his people several times: we want peace, we are ready for [a] ceasefire, we are ready to begin from any kind of steps of de-escalation," Zelenskyy told "This Week" co-anchor Jonathan Karl. "And if the Russians want us not [to] attack their diesel, their refineries and etc., we are asking President Trump, give them signal not attack energy infrastructure of Ukraine."

He went on, "Don't attack us. Don't kill our children. We will stop attack[ing] your diesel. And I think it's fair, fair deal."

On Saturday, Trump lashed out at Zelenskyy to reporters, claiming the Ukrainian president "chooses not to" end the war with Russia, which began when Russia invaded the sovereign country in February of 2022.

Amid a global energy crisis, Trump took issue with Ukraine's repeated strikes on Russian oil refineries, asserting that those strikes are exacerbating the price of diesel.

"We said you could do whatever you want to Russia, don't hit the refineries, because that's a world problem that's caused. And [Zelenskyy] wants to make problems for the world," Trump said. "He can do whatever he wants. But you can't do that because we have a world problem. And the problem is caused by the lack of refineries for diesel fuel. So what does he do? He goes and hits refineries."

This is a developing story. Please stay tuned for updates.