President Trump attacks Zelenskyy as U.S. eases diesel sanctions and Europe scrambles to fund Ukraine
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President Donald Trump lashed out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, accusing him of undermining U.S. interests while Washington moved to relax sanctions on Russian diesel and European leaders debated how to fill Ukraine’s growing war-financing gap.
President Donald Trump escalated his attacks on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, accusing the Ukrainian leader of causing trouble for American farmers and ranchers while claiming to want peace with Russia even as his actions point in the opposite direction. The remarks came as the United States announced a deal to ease sanctions on Russian diesel, a decision critics argue could hand Moscow more revenue and reward aggression under the guise of pragmatism.
Zelenskyy traveled to the European Council summit in Brussels to seek continued backing for Ukraine as the country endures a brutal winter and relentless military pressure. He warned European leaders that the war could cost €155 billion next year, with €70 billion expected from European sources, and pressed the bloc to secure the funding that Kyiv says it needs simply to keep going.
European officials admitted that public exhaustion with the conflict is rising and that raising more money is becoming politically difficult, with proposals on the table including new debt issuance or the use of frozen Russian assets. French politician Marine Le Pen and Germany's AfD signaled resistance to increasing contributions, highlighting the widening political fractures inside the EU over a war that many leaders still insist must be supported.
The United States' approach, according to the president, is meant to lower fuel prices ahead of the midterm elections, where gasoline costs remain a defining issue for voters. Analysts caution that the diesel sanction relief may increase Russian revenues without any clear safeguards, while the administration's broader strategy appears to depend on economic incentives to try to influence Russia's behavior in the war.