US President Donald Trump has condemned Ukraine’s leader after it launched the largest drone attack on Russia this year, attacking a major oil terminal in defiance of the president’s demands for an end to attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure.
Tensions have risen between Ukraine and the United States in recent days, raising fears that Kiev will lose vital aid as it faces another winter of relentless Russian aggression.
President Trump on Friday activated a waiver exempting Russia from sweeping economic sanctions mandated by the U.S. Congress. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy later told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that it would be a “historic mistake” for the United States to side with Russia.
Following Ukraine’s drone attacks overnight on Sunday, President Trump wrote on Truth Social that he did not want to push Russia away from negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, adding that he believed “significant progress is being made.”
At the same time, he lashed out at Zelensky, saying he “doesn’t want to end this war and probably never would have”, but Zelensky categorically rejected this claim.
“I am in the middle of negotiating peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and I don’t want to foolishly push Russia away from the negotiating table,” Trump wrote in a post on Sunday.
Nevertheless, Ukraine’s president said he spoke with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner on Sunday as part of “nonstop communication” aimed at ensuring long-term peace.
“We are doing everything in our power to make this happen and to ensure that America’s position is strong and brings peace closer,” President Zelenskiy wrote on X.
Meanwhile, news that President Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese leader Xi Jinping may hold a three-way meeting to end the war between Russia and Ukraine risks further escalating tensions.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibikha said on Monday that any future meeting between the three leaders would “encourage President Putin to continue this war,” after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio touted the possibility of a meeting.
Rubio, who is currently visiting Uzbekistan, was asked by a reporter there about a Wall Street Journal report that Putin brought up such a summit during a phone call with Trump earlier this month. “Well, I don’t know. I mean, I think there was talk of a meeting. I don’t know if anything was finalized.”
“Given the possibility that all three leaders will participate in the summit in China, the topic of such a virtual meeting was indeed mentioned,” the Kremlin said on Monday.
“However, no concrete proposals or agreements have been discussed or proposed by anyone, either regarding the meeting itself or its potential agenda and content,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, “We have no information to share at this time.”
Ukraine continues its long-range attacks on Russia. Russia’s Ministry of Defense announced that it shot down 1,015 Ukrainian-made drones over the country overnight starting Sunday.
One of the targets was an oil terminal in St. Petersburg, Russian authorities said. The terminal can handle up to 12.5 million tons per year. Ukraine’s Fire Point, which manufactures the drone used in the attack, said a fire broke out on the terminal premises after the attack.
Russian distribution company Ozone said its St. Petersburg distribution center and the data center of Russian social media platform Vkontakte were also attacked.
Local authorities said one person was killed, five others were injured and a home was damaged in the attack.
“They shot down one plane right above us. There was one bright flash and it shook us very hard,” the 41-year-old St. Petersburg resident told CNN.
“I heard yelling, so I got everyone out of bed, took the cat and hid in the bathroom,” another woman said.
The Ukraine attack comes amid deteriorating relations between President Zelensky and President Trump, who last week called Kiev’s attack on a Russian oil refinery “disgraceful.”
President Trump said a week ago that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to stop attacking each other’s energy infrastructure as the White House sought to ease pressure on oil and diesel prices ahead of crucial midterm elections.
Neither Kyiv nor Moscow recognized such an agreement. Although Ukraine temporarily halted these attacks, Russia never stopped attacking Ukrainian energy facilities and cities.
Russian missile and drone attacks killed 11 people and injured nearly 50 across Ukraine in the 24 hours leading up to Sunday morning, including a major attack on an energy facility in the Odesa region, Ukrainian authorities said.
“Since the US president announced the energy ceasefire a week ago, Russia has deliberately attacked Ukraine’s energy, oil and gas sector 76 times,” Zelenskiy wrote on X Sunday.
President Trump waived sanctions on imports of Russian diesel and on Friday activated a waiver exempting Russia from broader economic sanctions mandated by the U.S. Congress, which also drew criticism from Republicans.
Zelenskyy said in an interview with “Meet the Press” on Sunday that the exemption would strengthen Putin’s war against Ukraine while Moscow is failing on the battlefield. He also reiterated that access to the Ukrainian military’s Starlink system for guiding short-range and battlefield drones remains restricted.
“It was a message from the U.S. government” to limit the flight speed of Ukrainian drones, Zelenskiy said.
The Trump administration has denied ordering service restrictions.
President Zelenskiy said that during the ballistic missile attack, intelligence sharing was blocked by the US side for three days, but has since been restored. Rubio responded: “I don’t know where[Zelensky]is getting these things, I don’t know why he’s saying these things to the press. You should go back and ask him. There’s no stopping him.”
The US satellite network plays a key role in providing the Ukrainian military with warning of incoming missiles.
Zelenskiy said Ukraine received no early warning before multiple ballistic missile attacks within the past week. “Once again Russian ballistic missile attacks hit us in waves overnight, and once again there was no early warning from our partners,” he wrote on X Monday.
He also reaffirmed Kiev’s commitment to a long-term peace agreement. “Ukraine never wanted this war. We have literally welcomed every attempt by our partners to end this war with dignity,” he said.
“It’s better to have a partner who is very open and articulate than a partner who is a murderer even with a smile on his face,” Zelenskyy said in an interview on Sunday, when asked about Trump’s comments that he was harder to deal with than Putin.
Zelenskyy said he wants to trust Trump and hopes he will change his attitude toward Putin.
Asked if Trump was an ally of Ukraine, Zelenskiy said: “I hope so.”
