U.S. Pressures Zelensky To Halt Strikes On Russian Oil Infrastructure. He Says Ukraine Will Stop When Russia Does.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promised that Ukraine would continue to defend itself from Russian attacks on its infrastructure and retaliate in kind despite the insistence of the administration of President Donald Trump that he halt all strikes on Russian refineries.

“The real cause of the war in Europe is Russia and Russia alone. It is possible to stop strikes on energy infrastructure as early as today, but Putin does not want to do so. Ukraine will be ready to stop striking Russian oil refineries if Russia stops striking our energy infrastructure. Any de-escalation steps must be reciprocal and backed by real guarantees.” Zelensky posted on X on Sunday.

The Ukrainian leader also claimed that Russian strikes on Friday night in Zaporizhzhia had killed 23 people, and that Russia had conducted further attacks on a Ukrainian medical facility on Saturday and an apartment building on Sunday.

In the face of these attacks, the Ukrainian leader vowed to fight on and arrange the provision of “additional defense packages” with the help of Ukraine’s European allies.

Zelensky’s defiance and insistence that Russia is to blame for the continuation in hostilities came after prominent figures in the U.S. government intensified their criticism of Zelensky’s leadership and Kyiv’s continued attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, which the Trump administration blames for rising global and domestic fuel prices.

“We said [to Zelensky]: you can do whatever you want to Russia [but] don’t hit the refineries because that’s a world problem that’s caused, and he wants to make problems for the world. He wants to make problems for our farmers, our ranchers with diesel fuel, because Russia supplies a large portion of the diesel fuel throughout the world … he better damn well stop,” Trump told reporters on Saturday.

Trump then suggested that Ukraine should “get a new leader who can make a deal.”

SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who previously served as the head of DOGE within the administration and now co-leads a Pentagon project investigating the future of warfare, echoed Trump’s comments, writing: “I agree, time for Ukraine to get a new leader.”

The U.S. government’s recent escalation of its adversarial rhetoric towards Ukraine and its strikes on Russian refineries is unsurprising, given that Washington confirmed on Friday that it had secured a deal with Russia that would see Moscow supply the American and global markets with diesel in exchange for the suspension of American sanctions on Russian diesel until next year.

Surging diesel prices have become a political issue for the Trump administration ahead of the November midterms, as the cost of fuel has surged since the beginning of the U.S.-Iran war. Per gallon, diesel cost $6.28 on Sunday, compared to $3.76 on February 28th, when the U.S. and Israel initiated a joint military campaign against Iran.

Recent polls show that, by and large, Americans blame higher prices on the president as opposed to other factors.