Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy raised objections on Friday to a deal under which the United States would import Russian diesel, stating that the arrangement stood to direct additional revenue toward Moscow at a time when Russia's military campaign against Ukraine remained ongoing. He went on to argue that Russian President Vladimir Putin had no genuine interest in reaching an agreement, characterising the Kremlin's approach at the negotiating table as a performance of diplomacy rather than substantive engagement.
Zelenskyy, addressing reporters on the margins of a Brussels EU summit, expressed concern that the diesel agreement could open the door to broader sanctions relief for Russia, and called on European partners to increase their backing for Kyiv. He added that revenue would begin moving back into Russia through the arrangement and that the deal would fall short of counterbalancing the effect of Strait of Hormuz disruptions on global energy markets. A broadcast outlet regarded as reliable relayed the remark, which held that the arrangement would channel additional revenue toward Putin, thereby helping to sustain the ongoing conflict.
Zelenskyy further raised the possibility that such an agreement could pave the way for deeper economic linkages between Washington and Moscow — including potential arrangements tied to Russian gas supplies and a loosening of existing sanctions. He stated that he found fuel-related deals unacceptable on the grounds that broader energy partnerships of that nature would be liable to follow. He noted that restrictions on additional sectors beyond gas would eventually be eased, pointing to the banking sector, named individuals, and the chemical industry as the areas where those changes would take effect.
Zelenskyy told reporters that Moscow had shown no genuine willingness to enter any form of peace negotiations, adding that Russian responses amounted to little more than verbal manoeuvring rather than substantive engagement — this despite ongoing American diplomatic efforts to bring both sides to the table.
Tensions between Kyiv and Washington have grown over the question of Russian diesel, with former President Donald Trump pointing to Ukrainian strikes on oil-processing facilities inside Russia as a factor behind climbing energy costs. Trump put forward a ceasefire on strikes against power plants and other energy infrastructure, stating that both Ukraine and Russia had consented to the arrangement.
Ukrainian officials said the pause in those strikes lasted three days before lapsing, with the continuation of attacks on the country's power and energy networks by Russian forces cited as the reason it was not extended. Drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, which Kyiv said had continued unabated, prompted a resumption of Ukrainian operations against oil-processing facilities inside Russia.
During a broadcast interview, Trump described Ukraine's latest offensive moves as a "disgrace." Officials in Moscow confirmed that a Ukrainian drone had struck the Ryazan oil refinery, and footage of the damage was carried on state television. That action represented a departure from how such targets had typically been described in official communications — previously categorised as industrial enterprises rather than acknowledged for their actual function.
Zelenskyy added that Ukraine continued to face interruptions to Starshield — the defence-grade variant of SpaceX's Starlink network — a system relied upon for front-line communications and drone-related operations. Partial recovery of the system was noted, he said, though full restoration had yet to be achieved, and he added that the interruption had left civilians exposed to harm.
An administration official pushed back on the notion that Trump had directed any intentional slowdown of the Starshield programme, while Trump himself maintained that intelligence-sharing arrangements with Ukraine remained active. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, speaking to reporters, acknowledged that Europe does not currently have the capacity to replace the satellite network Ukraine relies on for its battlefield communications, and noted that, over the near term, that particular capacity was not something Europe had the means to replicate.
At the summit, Zelenskyy told fellow European leaders that he viewed them as genuine figures of leadership. Appealing for considerable funding to keep Ukraine's armed forces operational and its broader resilience intact, he put the projected cost of the conflict at €155 billion for the coming year. Zelenskyy told EU leaders that an additional €70 billion would be needed to cover defence procurement, weapons acquisition, and broader resilience efforts, describing the figure as attainable. He added that such measures would serve to constrain Russia's capacity for action.
Speaking to a broadcaster, European Council President Robert Michal put forward the view that an additional EU loan to Ukraine would probably be needed to cover a funding shortfall forecast for the year ahead, and noted that the country had faced considerable pressure through the previous winter — a pattern he expected to repeat in the months to come.
Zelenskyy also voiced opposition to any deal that could allow frozen Russian assets to be transferred back to Moscow. His comments followed a broadcast report indicating that Washington had put forward a plan to move some frozen Russian assets held across Europe into a fund under American oversight, with the aim of restarting stalled peace talks. Zelenskyy indicated that returning those assets to Russia represented a risk Ukraine was not prepared to accept.
