At a press briefing in the White House, Trump castigated Ukraine’s leadership, claiming the war’s devastation—over 2 million deaths and 30 % territorial loss—was a result of Zelensky’s incompetence. He said the conflict “would not have started if I had been president in 2022.”
Zelensky, a day after Trump’s remarks, slammed a U.S.-Russia diesel deal as “unworthy of our partners” and “a weak decision.” He said Russia’s gratitude was shown by dropping five glide bombs on residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia, calling it a “trump card” against Ukraine.
Trump asserted that he had secured a major diesel release from Russia, with Russia pledging to supply over 300,000 tons to the global market, followed by 500,000 tonnes in November and a million tonnes thereafter. He said the move would ease energy costs ahead of U.S. midterms.
When asked about Saudi Arabia’s recent strikes on the Houthis, Trump said, “We may… we’ll make a decision. We move very quickly.”
In the wake of Trump’s comments, Ukrainian officials intensified pressure on Washington to rethink its aid strategy, while Congress debated new sanctions and support measures.