Ukraine will keep striking Russia’s war machine absent a ceasefire
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that Ukraine remains focused on ending the war with Russia — a conflict that has lasted nearly five years — and still views the United States as a reliable partner, despite rocky relations with the Trump administration. In an interview with NPR in Kyiv, Zelenskyy said his military generals told him they had received the message that Ukraine could lose access to U.S. weapons and intelligence, but that it has not happened yet.
Asked whether the United States had stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine, Trump told reporters Tuesday: “We are helping them and we are sharing intel, we want the war to end.”
Zelenskyy said he wants the war to end too, but Ukraine will keep striking Russia’s war machine unless there is a ceasefire respected by both sides. The Ukrainian leader said Putin does not respond to diplomacy — “he understands force.”
The interview came at a time of renewed tensions with the White House. On Friday, Trump moved to ease sanctions on Russian diesel exports, blindsiding Kyiv. Zelenskyy called the move “a weak decision by strong partners.”
Trump responded over the weekend, saying, “I think it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president” — a leader who would reach a peace deal with Putin.
On Sunday, Trump announced on his Truth Social account a partial ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine to halt attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure, catching Kyiv by surprise again even as Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure continued. Zelenskyy said he found out about Trump’s claim that Ukraine and Russia had agreed to an energy ceasefire “through social like you” — meaning from Trump’s post on his Truth Social account.
Trump continues to tout his relationship with Putin, raising fresh questions about the future of U.S. support for Ukraine and the direction of Washington’s approach to ending the war.
Asked about Trump blaming Ukraine for the high cost of diesel, Zelenskyy said most people “know why their prices on any kind of energy, including diesel, raised up, why they increased. Because of Hormuz. Yes. Because of blocking the Strait of Hormuz.”
He said Trump’s decision to temporarily lift sanctions on Russian diesel would not influence “the price in the United States. I’m sure … because the volume is not enough.” But he said the move would provide the Kremlin with more money to spend on its war.