Zelenskyy warns against US alignment with Russia as tensions with Trump rise

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine would be unable to prevail if the United States formally sided with Russia, as tensions intensified between Kyiv and President Donald Trump over Washington’s approach to ending the war.

In an NBC interview, Zelenskyy said continued US support was vital and expressed hope that Trump would remain aligned with Ukraine or at least take a neutral position. He also said US intelligence sharing had resumed after a three-day pause during Russian ballistic missile attacks.

Zelenskyy later said he had spoken with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and that Ukrainian and American officials were in “virtually nonstop communication.” He said Ukraine was prepared to work constructively toward ending the conflict and that “a lot depends” on Washington’s position.

Trump, meanwhile, accused Zelenskyy of lacking interest in peace and defended his decision to waive new sanctions targeting Russia. In a social media post, Trump said negotiations had made “great progress” and argued that additional penalties could push Moscow away from the bargaining table. He also criticized Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, saying they were affecting global diesel markets.

The dispute unfolded as Russia and Ukraine exchanged attacks on energy facilities. Ukrainian strikes ignited an oil terminal and depot in St. Petersburg, while Russian attacks left thousands of Ukrainians without power. Separately, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces had retaken more territory this fall than Russia had captured, citing advances in the Donetsk region.