Zelenskyy demands Europe bolster support for Ukraine amid escalating rift with Trump

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Brussels seeking to strengthen European support for his country amid escalating Russian attacks and his dispute with US President Donald Trump over the resumption of Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries. Zelenskyy met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, stressing the need for missiles and ammunition, while Rutte called for implementing the "energy truce" proposed by Trump. Trump criticized the strikes, calling them "disgraceful," arguing they drive up energy prices.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during his visit to Brussels, is seeking to bolster European support for his country amid escalating Russian attacks and a deepening rift with US President Donald Trump. This comes against the backdrop of Kyiv resuming its strikes on Russian oil refineries, a decision that angered Trump. Zelenskyy met on Thursday with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, stressing the urgent need to supply Ukraine with interceptor missiles and ammunition. In response, Rutte called for implementing the "energy truce" proposed by Trump on Sunday, although the Kremlin has not confirmed its agreement. Zelenskyy did not address the truce in his statements about the meeting. Meanwhile, Trump criticized the resumption of Ukrainian attacks, calling them "disgraceful," arguing they contribute to rising global energy prices, and said dealing with Zelenskyy is harder than dealing with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In response, Moscow reported a fire at one of its oil refineries following what it described as a large-scale Ukrainian attack using drones and missiles. Kyiv says targeting Russian energy facilities aims to reduce the oil and fuel revenues Moscow uses to finance the war.