Zelensky Accuses Trump of Pressuring Kyiv to Surrender
The zelensky accuses trump fight reached a new peak this weekend as Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky charged that Washington is trying to pressure Kyiv into surrendering to Russia, delivering his sharpest public criticism of the US president yet.
“I believe steps have been taken to convince Ukraine to capitulate,” Zelensky said in an interview with Bloomberg. “I don’t want to think that our American partners believe the war could be ended sooner at Ukraine’s expense. But that’s how it looks.”
A Response to Trump’s Sunday Post
The accusation landed hours after Trump announced on Truth Social that he was “in the process of negotiating peace” between Russia and Ukraine, calling his decision on Russia a “very simple one.” He wrote that he did not want to do anything that would drive Moscow away from the bargaining table, and claimed “great progress is being made.”
In the same post, Trump took a direct jab at Zelensky over Ukraine’s strikes on diesel refineries inside Russia, saying the Ukrainian leader knew the attacks were “seriously hurting the world diesel markets, including those in the United States” and suggesting he did not “want to end the war.”
“He could have made a better deal two years ago than he can now,” Trump wrote. “His country is in shambles, a large portion of his land is lost, his oceans and seas are gone, and his male population is low, wounded, and/or dead. I WANT THIS WAR END.”
Bessent Calls Zelensky “Reckless”
The fallout has spread across the administration. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called Zelensky “very reckless” after the Ukrainian leader accused the Trump administration of being behind disruptions to Starlink satellite communications relied upon by Ukrainian forces.
Trump has repeatedly criticized Kyiv’s renewed strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, calling them a “disgrace” on Thursday and telling Newsmax he finds Zelensky “more difficult to deal with than Putin.”
A Breaking Point in the Alliance
The dispute follows one of the roughest weeks in US-Ukraine relations since the 2022 invasion. On Friday, Trump waived key US sanctions and tariffs on Russia shortly before they were scheduled to take effect, prompting Zelensky to warn the move would encourage Moscow to keep attacking Ukrainian cities.
European leaders on Friday rallied around Zelensky at an EU summit in Brussels, with European Council chief Antonio Costa saying it was no time to withdraw support for Ukraine or relieve pressure on Russia.
The widening rift has raised fears that Washington could restrict weapons deliveries, cut battlefield intelligence sharing, or strike more economic deals with Moscow. Despite the harsh words, Kyiv still wants to keep talking: Ukrainian officials said the government hopes to continue dialogue with Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Trump said Friday he would keep dealing with both leaders. “I want that war to end,” he told reporters.
Source: The Washington Post