Trump calls Zelensky ‘more difficult to deal with than Putin,’ says he’s ‘not a big fan’

US President Donald Trump criticizes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying he is "more difficult to deal with than Putin"

The full report

US President Donald Trump has renewed his criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying he is "more difficult to deal with than [Russian President Vladimir] Putin". This criticism comes after Zelensky paused Ukraine's strikes on Russian oil refineries for three days at Trump's request for a ceasefire on energy targets, but said on Thursday they would resume because Moscow had never stopped. Trump also called Ukraine's strikes on Russian oil refineries a "disgrace" and said they are driving up global fuel prices. He again raised the issue of elections in Ukraine, which have not been held because of martial law, and expressed doubt that Zelensky retains public support amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

According to the BBC, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters that sanctions on Russia "have to increase". She also stated that "of course we supported President Trump's energy ceasefire but we've seen that Russia did not respect it, not a single minute". European Council President António Costa said that "this is no time to withdraw support" to Ukraine and "no time to relieve Russian sanctions". The summit's agenda focuses on funding for Ukraine and helping it get through another cold winter - the fifth since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

BBC News reports that Zelensky said his country wants the war to end "as quick as possible", but added that Russia is not showing signs that it wants the same thing. He also stated that "that's why we have to prepare for the winter. A winter package is not only energy, it's also defence and funding". Zelensky was flanked by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa at the EU summit in Brussels on Friday.

Meduza English reports that Trump said in an interview with the right-wing channel Newsmax that he finds it harder to negotiate with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky than with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He also stated that "Zelensky is not a good guy for us to deal with. He doesn’t want to settle. He says he wants to settle, but he doesn’t". Trump again criticized Ukraine's strikes on Russian oil refineries, saying they are driving up global fuel prices.

Trump also expressed doubt that Zelensky retains public support amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, stating that "I think you need an election because there’s nobody that’s telling me that the people of Ukraine are satisfied having missiles hitting their apartment building". He said he still believes the war will "end soon", because "they actually both would like to see it end". However, he stated that there are certain difficulties, including the hatred between Putin and Zelensky.

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