President Donald Trump said Thursday that Ukraine’s announcement to end the truce on Russian energy facilities was “a disgrace,” following reports that an oil refinery was hit in Russia’s Ryazan region. Regional Governor Pavel Malkov said the Ryazan refinery was struck in a large Ukrainian drone attack Thursday, though Ukrainian authorities have confirmed this. It is the first reported strike on Russian energy infrastructure since Trump announced an “energy ceasefire” between Kyiv and Moscow last Sunday.
Russia continued to hit Ukrainian energy sites despite Trump’s announcement, while Ukraine held fire on Russia’s energy sector. On Wednesday, however, Zelenskyy announced the pause was over — a decision Trump sharply criticized, saying it would drive up global oil prices. Well, I think that’s a disgrace,” Trump told Newsmax Thursday evening, adding that he was “not a big fan of Zelenskyy” and he was “more difficult to deal with than Putin.” “There are a lot of targets you can hit, but when you shoot at diesel refineries where you make, you know, diesel oil, and we need that, and the world needs that, then he’s not doing a good service for the world,” he added.
Relations between Kyiv and the White House have become increasingly strained since Trump announced last week that the U.S. would ease sanctions on Russian diesel imports, while Ukraine’s Starlink services were restricted.
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