US President Donald Trump has reportedly become enraged by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's refusal to halt strikes on Russian energy infrastructure and reach a peace deal with his Russian counterpart.
According to reports by Axios and the Financial Times, Trump is "really mad" at Zelensky, and his representative had reportedly threatened Kiev to cut off arms sales and intelligence sharing unless Ukraine's president stops strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, particularly the country's oil refineries, and agrees to a peace agreement proposed by the United States.
Trump, who is under pressure to bring down fuel prices to ease the increasing cost of living in the United States, said on Friday he had reached a deal with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to buy diesel fuel for Americans from Russia in an attempt to stop rising energy prices in the United States that were hurting the country's economy.
The US president, blaming Zelensky for rising global diesel prices, announced on Sunday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to begin an immediate ceasefire in attacks targeting each other's energy facilities.
“Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the war between Russia and Ukraine," Trump announced on social media on Sunday, claiming that "both parties have agreed."
"Do not break it!” Trump insisted, seemingly addressing the two countries' leaders, but in particular Zelensky, whom he is trying to blame for the energy crisis.
Zelensky said after Trump's Sunday announcement that he would not break the agreement if Putin kept his end of the deal.
However, he added, “If President Trump negotiated it with Putin – please tell us when the ceasefire begins," showing he was not aware of the agreement Trump had referred to.
He accused Zelensky of deliberately hurting American consumers and farmers by refusing proposals to end the war.
Axios says Zelensky has insolently ignored at least half a dozen requests from Trump to stop striking Russian oil refineries.
“Trump is really mad. He feels Zelensky is taking the US for granted,” a White House official told Axios on Sunday. The source said that Kiev’s attacks on Russian refineries were doing more damage to its relationship with Washington than to Moscow.
Trump’s special representatives, his developer friend Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, had previously warned the Ukrainians that the US could stop sharing intelligence if Kiev continued to ignore Trump’s demands.
Witkoff and Kushner have reportedly postponed their upcoming Moscow visit until Zelensky and his European backers confirm that they are ready to accept a unified peace proposal by the United States.
Zelensky has questioned Trump's strong leadership, describing the deal to purchase diesel from Russia as a “weak decision” by the US president.
The Ukrainian leader claims the deal would empower Russia, providing extra funds to Moscow to continue the war with Ukraine.
Trump hit back, calling Zelensky a troublemaker and saying it was time for Ukrainians to find a new leader who is capable of reaching a deal to replace him.
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