US President Donald Trump launched a fresh attack against Volodymyr Zelensky, sharply criticizing the resumption of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries. The American president accused his Ukrainian counterpart of contributing to rising global oil prices, while also casting doubt on Zelensky’s willingness to reach a peace deal to end the war.
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In an interview with US television network Newsmax, Trump claimed it is harder to work with Zelensky than with Russian President Vladimir Putin, further escalating the very public rift between Washington and Kyiv.
“It’s a disgrace – There are so many other targets”
Trump’s remarks came in the wake of a Ukrainian drone strike on an oil refinery in Russia’s Ryazan region. The attack occurred after the American president had announced that Moscow and Kyiv had agreed to an energy ceasefire.
When asked about the resumption of the strikes, Trump made no effort to hide his frustration, directly linking the Ukrainian attacks to rising fuel prices. “It’s a disgrace! There are so many other targets,” he said, going on to accuse Zelensky of burdening global energy markets. “All he’s doing is raising the price of oil all over the world,” he added.
Trump on Zelensky: Zelensky is not a good guy for us to deal with. They’re not going to settle with Zelensky. He doesn’t want to settle. He says he wants to settle, but he doesn’t. I’m not a big fan of Zelensky. They’ve destroyed Ukraine. https://t.co/NeM3b7cOGS
— Clash Report (@clashreport) October 16, 2026
Trump went further in his criticism, questioning whether the Ukrainian leader truly intends to pursue a peace agreement with Russia. “Zelensky is harder to deal with than Putin,” he insisted, adding that while Zelensky claims to want a deal, his actions suggest otherwise.
Zelensky fires back: “Don’t side with the aggressor”
For his part, Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Thursday, October 15, that Ukraine was resuming its strikes against Russian oil refineries, in defiance of the energy ceasefire Trump had declared.
The Ukrainian president made clear that Kyiv has no intention of continuing to hold back from targeting Russian energy infrastructure. He also issued a direct appeal to his American counterpart, urging Trump not to take the side of “the aggressor” — a reference to Russia.
