KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine remains focused on ending the war with Russia that has lasted nearly five years and continues to view the United States as a reliable partner, despite rocky relations with the Trump administration, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told NPR Tuesday. Zelenskyy said his military generals told him they'd received the message that they could lose access to U.S. weapons and intelligence, but that it hasn't happened yet. Asked whether the U.S. had stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine, Trump told reporters Tuesday: "We are helping them and we are sharing intel, we want the war to end." Zelenskyy said he wants the war to end too but Ukraine will keep striking Russia's war machine unless there is a ceasefire respected by both sides.
Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn't respond to diplomacy, the Ukrainian leader said, "he understands force." Zelenskyy also said he found out about President Trump's claim that Ukraine and Russia had agreed to an energy ceasefire "through social like you" — meaning, from Trump's post on his Truth Social account on Sunday. Zelenskyy's sit-down with NPR comes at a time of renewed tensions with the White House. On Friday, Trump moved to ease sanctions on Russian diesel exports, blindsiding Kyiv.
Zelenskyy called it a "a weak decision by strong partners." Trump lashed back over the weekend saying, "I think it's time for Ukraine to get a new president," a leader who would reach a peace deal with Putin. Then on Sunday, Trump announced on social media a partial ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine to halt attacks on each other's energy infrastructure — catching Kyiv by surprise again — even as Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure continued. All this comes as Trump continues to tout his relationship with Putin, raising fresh questions about the future of U.S. support for Ukraine — and the direction of Washington's approach to ending the war.
Asked what he thinks about Trump blaming Ukraine for the high cost of diesel, Zelenskyy said most people "know why their prices on any kind of energy, including diesel, raised up, why they increased. Because of blocking the Strait of Hormuz." He said Trump's decisions to temporarily lift sanctions on Russian diesel would not influence "the price in the United States. I'm sure … because the volume is not enough." But he said the move would provide the Kremlin with more money to spend on its war.
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