WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has described Ukraine’s renewed strikes on Russian oil refineries as a “disgrace”, saying the attacks were driving up global energy prices.
“Well, I think that’s a disgrace,” Trump told broadcaster Newsmax in an interview published on Thursday, when asked about Ukraine’s renewed strikes.
The 80-year-old US leader also criticised his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, claiming he was less willing than Russian President Vladimir Putin to reach a compromise to end the war.
“It should end soon. I think they actually both would like to see it end,” Trump told Newsmax.
“But I think I find Zelensky to be more difficult to deal with than Putin.”
Against the backdrop of strained relations with Trump, Zelensky met NATO chief Mark Rutte in Brussels and held a series of bilateral meetings with European leaders ahead of an EU summit on Friday.
The Ukrainian president had told the Financial Times that the pause in strikes on Russian refineries was “done”, saying Moscow had failed to abide by a ceasefire on attacks against energy infrastructure announced by Trump.