US President Donald Trump on Thursday renewed his criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, describing him as “not a good guy for us to deal with” and saying he found the Ukrainian leader more difficult to negotiate with than Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The remarks came as tensions between Washington and Kyiv deepened over Ukraine’s attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, reported disruptions to Starlink connectivity and intelligence-sharing, and the failure of a proposed ceasefire on energy targets.
In an interview with Newsmax, Trump questioned Zelenskyy’s willingness to reach a settlement with Moscow and criticised the military aid provided to Ukraine under former US President Joe Biden.
“Zelensky is not a good guy for us to deal with. Biden gave him hundreds of billions of dollars, billions and billions of dollars,” Trump said.
He argued that the Ukrainian leader’s approach was complicating efforts to end the conflict.
“If they're going to end up with a settlement of some kind, they're not going to do it with him. He doesn't want to settle. He says he wants to settle, but he doesn't know. I'm not a big fan of Zelensky. They've destroyed that country,” Trump said.
“I think I find Zelensky to be more difficult to deal with than Putin,” he added.
Trump had also criticised Zelenskyy earlier in the week, suggesting Ukraine needed a new leader capable of negotiating an agreement with Russia. He said he had warned Kyiv against targeting Russian oil refineries, particularly those producing diesel, arguing that such attacks could disrupt fuel supplies and affect American farmers and ranchers.
“We told Zelensky, ‘You can do whatever you want to Russia, but don't hit the refineries because that's a world problem.’ And what does he do? He goes and hits the diesel fuel. He better damn well stop,” Trump said.
“I suggest they get a new leader who could make a deal because he could've made many deals and for some reason he never does,” he added. “I think it's time for Ukraine to get a new President.”
Ukraine ends support for energy ceasefire
Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that Ukraine would no longer support a ceasefire on energy targets announced by Trump on October 11, accusing Russia of continuing attacks despite the proposed arrangement.
Following Trump's announcement, Kyiv had suspended attacks on Russian refineries. However, Russia subsequently carried out missile and drone strikes, including against energy infrastructure and power stations, knocking out electricity to hundreds of thousands of people, according to the account provided.
In an interview with the Financial Times, published on Thursday and recorded a day earlier, Zelenskyy said Ukraine's patience had run out.
“That's it, block (on attacking refineries) it out,” he told the newspaper.
The Kremlin said on Thursday that Ukraine's targeting of Russian energy infrastructure ran counter to US peace efforts. It had previously said the scope of the proposed ceasefire had not been determined and that work was continuing to establish it.
Starlink dispute deepens rift with Washington
The disagreement has also focused on reported changes to the military version of SpaceX's Starlink satellite system, known as Starshield, which Zelenskyy said had curbed Ukraine's ability to use the technology to operate drones.
Zelenskyy alleged that Washington had warned Ukrainian officials that intelligence-sharing could be suspended unless Kyiv stopped attacking Russian refineries. He said the reported disruption to satellite connectivity was a policy decision rather than a technical failure.
“It was not a technical problem; it was the will,” Zelenskyy said.
SpaceX chief Elon Musk said in a social media post that the use of Starshield was ultimately up to Trump, as US president.
The dispute has highlighted Ukraine's reliance on US technology and intelligence for military communications, reconnaissance, drone operations and logistical coordination. Europe has no ready-made alternatives to Starlink or to US satellite systems used to detect Russian missile launches.
Washington has already halted weapons supplies to Ukraine under Trump, while allowing European allies to continue purchasing US arms for Kyiv.
In his interview with the Financial Times, Zelenskyy also criticised Washington's eagerness to pursue business deals with Moscow and Trump's apparent admiration for Putin.
Russia and Ukraine trade battlefield claims
Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine reported fresh military operations, with Moscow saying its forces had struck Ukrainian military infrastructure and captured two settlements, while Kyiv claimed to have hit six Russian warplanes.
In its daily report, Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces had targeted infrastructure used by the Ukrainian military, as well as drone production workshops and storage sites.
The ministry also said Russian forces had struck a port in Ukraine's Odesa region used for loading, unloading and storing military supplies, along with two dry cargo ships carrying military equipment. It said Russian troops had taken control of Nefedovka and Chernoye in the Kharkiv region.
Ukraine offered a different account of its operations.
Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces had used the Neptune coastal missile system to strike six Su-34M bombers at the Borisoglebsk military airfield in Russia's southwestern Voronezh region, destroying four and damaging two.
He also said Ukrainian forces had hit a drone storage and launch site in Russia's Oryol region and a target in the Black Sea.
Ukraine's General Staff separately said its forces had struck a Russian personnel concentration area and a drone launch site over the previous day.
The claims from both sides were not independently verified in the material provided.
Ukraine seeks more air defence support
Ukraine's air defence capabilities have also come under pressure. Ukrainian media reported on Thursday, citing sources familiar with the matter, that the country had exhausted its stock of interceptor missiles for the US-supplied Patriot air defence system, leaving most ballistic targets in Russia's latest attack unintercepted.
The report said Russian missiles had hit three power plants in Kyiv and damaged energy infrastructure in Kharkiv.
During a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels on Thursday, Zelenskyy called on NATO partners to continue supplying military equipment, particularly ballistic missile interceptors and ammunition for F-16 fighter jets.
He said Ukraine was pushing for a new air defence aid package as Russian attacks on the country's infrastructure continued.
