Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy voiced opposition on Friday to a fuel-related agreement between the United States and Russia, described Moscow's posture in the negotiations as a hollow imitation of genuine peace efforts, and expressed openness to European partners taking on a larger role in the diplomatic process.
Speaking at a gathering of European Union leaders in Brussels, Zelenskyy told attendees that Moscow had no interest in reaching a peace agreement. He also noted that outages affecting the SpaceX Starshield satellite network — relied upon for battlefield coordination and for neutralising Russian drone strikes against cities well behind the front lines — had yet to be resolved.
Several European leaders rallied behind Zelenskyy after Trump, in public remarks directed at Kyiv, called Ukraine's strikes on Russian oil refineries a "disgrace." At the summit, Zelenskyy addressed those present alongside him, characterising them collectively as genuine leaders.
Zelenskyy's visit to the EU comes at a period when Ukrainian cities face ongoing aerial bombardment and questions persist over whether Washington will reduce its intelligence and military assistance to Kyiv. Trump declared over the weekend that Ukraine and Russia had agreed to halt strikes on one another's energy infrastructure — news that, according to Zelenskyy, had not been communicated to him beforehand.
Ahead of November's midterm elections, Trump has linked higher energy costs to Ukrainian drone and missile attacks on Russian oil refineries, contending that the strikes carry consequences for his position at the ballot box.
The fuel arrangement with Russia drew objections from Ukraine and European partners. Speaking on the margins of the summit, Zelenskyy noted that revenue would begin moving back into Russia through the agreement and that its scale fell well short of what would be needed to counterbalance the effects of Strait of Hormuz disruptions on global energy markets.
Zelenskyy contended that Putin bore no genuine interest in peace talks of any kind, and that public statements expressing openness to dialogue amounted, from Zelenskyy's perspective, to a rhetorical cover for inaction rather than any concrete movement toward negotiation.
Drone attacks attributed to Russia struck the city of Kharkiv, killing three people, while separate strikes across other parts of Ukraine cut power to hundreds of thousands of residents.
Kirill Dmitriev, who serves as an investment envoy for Putin, stated Friday that the Treasury Department had approached Russia's sovereign wealth fund to work through payment complications tied to an arrangement between Trump and Putin covering the purchase of Russian diesel. According to Dmitriev, the Treasury approached the Russian Direct Investment Fund — the body he leads — asking it to handle payment processing and address operational matters. The fund's representative stated that the RDIF would take steps to ensure that transactions move without delay and reach the people they are intended to serve.
