Trump slams Zelensky after Ukraine defies US president with major attack on Russia
· CNNUS President Donald Trump has excoriated Ukraine’s leader after the country launched one of its biggest drone attacks on Russia this year, hitting a key oil terminal in defiance of his demand it stop hitting Russian energy infrastructure.
There have been growing tensions between Ukraine and the US in recent days, prompting fears in Kyiv it could lose essential support as it approaches another winter under relentless Russian attack.
Trump on Friday invoked a waiver exempting Russia from sweeping economic penalties mandated by the US Congress. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” the US siding with Russia would be a “historic mistake.”
Smoke rises above the city following an air attack on the oil terminal in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on Sunday.
AFP/Getty Images
In the wake of Ukraine’s drone attack overnight into Sunday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he doesn’t want to do anything that will drive Russia away from negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, adding that he believes “great progress is being made.”
At the same time, he hit out at Zelensky, saying that he “doesn’t want to end this war, and probably never did” – a claim firmly rejected by Zelensky.
“I am in the process of negotiating Peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and don’t want to do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table,” Trump wrote in the post Sunday.
Despite this, the Ukrainian president said he spoke to US envoy, Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner on Sunday as part of “nonstop communication” aimed at securing long-term peace.
“We are doing everything on our part to make this happen, and to ensure that America’s position is strong and helps bring peace closer,” Zelensky posted on X.
Meanwhile, news of a potential trilateral meeting between Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on ending Russia’s war with Ukraine risks escalating tensions further.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said Monday that any future meeting between the three leaders would “encourage Putin to continue this war,” after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio touted possible talks.
Rubio, who is currently on a visit to Uzbekistan, had been asked by a reporter there about a Wall Street Journal report that Putin had floated such a summit in a phone call with Trump earlier this month. He responded: “Well, I don’t know. I mean, I think there’s been talks of a meeting. I don’t know if anything’s been finalized.”
The Kremlin said Monday that “given that all three heads of state might potentially take part in the summit in China, the topic of such a hypothetical meeting was indeed mentioned.”
“However, no concrete proposals or agreements – neither regarding the meeting itself nor its potential agenda and content – have been discussed or put forward by anyone,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. A spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “I have no information to share at the moment.”
Ukraine targets oil sites
Ukraine is keeping up long-range strikes into Russia. Russia’s defense ministry said it shot down 1,015 Ukrainian drones overnight into Sunday over various parts of the country.
One target was the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal, according to Russian authorities. The terminal can handle up to 12.5 million tons per year. Ukraine’s Fire Point company, which makes the drones used in the attack, said there was a fire on the terminal’s grounds following the strike.
A logistics centers in St. Petersburg was also attacked, according to Ozon, a Russian distribution company, as well as a data center for the Russian VKontakte social media platform.
One person was killed and five wounded in the attacks, with residential homes damaged as well, according to local authorities.
“They shot one down right above us: there was one bright flash, and it shook us up quite strongly,” a 41-year old resident of St. Petersburg told CNN.
“I heard a roar, got everyone out of their beds, took the cat, and we hid in the bathroom,” another said.
Smoke rises after a Ukrainian drone strike on an Ozon warehouse in St. Petersburg, Russia, on October 18.
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A deepening spat
Ukraine’s strikes come amid Zelensky’s deteriorating relationship with Trump, who last week called Kyiv’s strikes on Russian oil refineries a “disgrace.”
A week ago, Trump said Russia and Ukraine had agreed to stop attacking each other’s energy infrastructure, as the White House tries to relieve pressure on oil and diesel prices ahead of crucial midterm elections.
Neither Kyiv nor Moscow acknowledged such an agreement. Ukraine briefly halted such attacks, but Russia never stopped pounding Ukraine’s energy plants and cities.
Eleven people were killed and nearly 50 injured across Ukraine in Russian missile and drone attacks in the 24 hours to Sunday morning, according to Ukrainian authorities, including what they called a massive attack on energy facilities in the Odesa region.
“Since the American President announced the energy ceasefire a week ago, Russia has deliberately attacked Ukraine’s energy and oil and gas sectors 76 times,” Zelensky wrote on X Sunday.
People watch the burning oil terminal following an air attack in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on October 18, 2026.
AFP/Getty Images
Trump has waived sanctions on imports of Russian diesel and on Friday invoked a waiver exempting Russia from sweeping economic penalties mandated by the US Congress, sparking criticism even from Republicans.
In an interview Sunday with “Meet the Press,” Zelensky said the waiver strengthened Putin’s war against Ukraine while Moscow was failing on the battlefield. He also repeated that the Ukrainian military’s access to the Starlink system to guide its short-range and battlefield drones was still curtailed.
“It was a message from the American government” to limit the speed at which Ukrainian drones could fly, Zelensky said.
The Trump administration has denied it ordered the service restricted.
No early warnings
Zelensky said that intelligence sharing had been blocked by the US side for three days during ballistic missile attacks but had since been restored. In response, Rubio said: “I don’t know where (Zelensky’s) getting these things from or why he’s saying these things to the press. You should go back and ask him. There’s been no pause.”
US satellite networks have been critical in providing the Ukrainian military with warnings of incoming missiles.
According to Zelensky, Ukraine received no early warning before a ballistic missile attack multiple times within the last week. “Another Russian ballistic missile attack came in several waves overnight, and once again, there was no early warning from our partners,” he posted on X Monday.
He also reaffirmed Kyiv’s commitment to a long-term peace deal. “Ukraine never wanted this war, and we have welcomed literally EVERY attempt by our partners to bring this war to a dignified end,” he said.
In his Sunday interview, Zelensky was also asked about Trump’s comments that he was more difficult to deal with than Putin and replied it was “better to have partners who are very open and clear than to have those who are killers, even with a smile on their face.”
Zelensky said he wanted to trust Trump and hoped he would change his attitude to Putin.
Asked if Trump was an ally of Ukraine, Zelensky said: “I hope so.”
CNN’s Daria Tarasova, Julia Benbrook, Logan Schiciano, Billy Stockwell, Anna Chernova and Jennifer Hanlser contributed to this report.