Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that he is "only defending Ukraine's interests," in response to sharp criticism from US President Donald Trump, who described the new wave of Ukrainian strikes targeting Russian oil refineries as "disgraceful."
President Trump, who recently struck a controversial deal with Moscow to import diesel, said dealing with Zelensky is "more difficult than dealing with Russian President Vladimir Putin."
Zelensky, whose anger was sparked by the diesel deal, expressed his rejection of the agreement, warning of the possibility of a subsequent deal to import Russian gas.
He said at an EU summit in Brussels: "If I don't stand up to this, who will?"
Tensions between Washington and Kyiv have escalated over the diesel deal and restrictions on the satellite communication network used by Ukraine on the battlefield.
Zelensky's visit to Brussels, following a visit to London, marked the end of a challenging and pressured week.
Upon arriving at the European summit on Friday, where he received support from EU leaders, Zelensky said he was happy to be back among allies, adding, "Leaders, real leaders," a statement that could be interpreted as a veiled criticism of the US President.
The summit's agenda was dominated by discussions on how to fund Ukraine and help it get through another harsh winter, the fifth since Russia's full-scale invasion of the country in 2022.
Zelensky told the European Council that the cost of the war would reach €155 billion next year, noting that Ukraine needs to receive at least €70 billion from the EU to fund defense and purchase weapons.
Zelensky explained that his country is capable of tripling its drone production, but "simply does not have enough money to achieve this."
Kyiv faces a fundamental problem that is difficult to solve: a chronic shortage of US-made Patriot missile system interceptors, which it relies on to protect its cities and towns from air attacks.
Zelensky said he believes Europe has all the interceptor missiles Ukraine needs for the coming winter, but clarified that his country only receives them in scattered quantities and in limited batches.
Zelensky addressed the deteriorating relations between Ukraine and the United States, saying there are "many good-hearted people in America" who want "to be allies, not to divide or humiliate Europe."
Trump had sharply criticized Zelensky for Ukraine's resumption of its strikes on Russian oil refineries earlier this week, fearing that these attacks would affect Moscow's ability to fulfill its obligations under the diesel agreement, which stipulates the supply of 300,000 tons of diesel to "the American and global markets."
As Russia and Ukraine continue to exchange attacks on each other's energy facilities, Trump surprisingly announced last week a ceasefire on energy facilities.
Kyiv said it would stop its strikes if Russia did the same, but Moscow affirmed that it had never agreed to the deal and continued its attacks.
Three days later, Kyiv resumed its strikes on Russian energy facilities.
US President Donald Trump's statements about his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, during an interview with the American network "Newsmax" on Thursday evening, reflect the deterioration of relations between the United States and Ukraine.
The US President said he is "not a big fan of Zelensky," and that he is "not someone who is easy for us to deal with."
Trump added: "He doesn't want to reach a settlement, he says he wants to, but he really doesn't."
He continued: "As you know, Putin hates Zelensky, and Zelensky hates Putin, and when there is so much hatred, reaching a settlement becomes very difficult."
When asked about Ukraine's resumption of its strikes on Russian oil refineries, Trump said of Zelensky: "All he is doing is raising global oil prices... There are many other targets that can be hit."
Trump is frustrated by Ukraine's continued targeting of Russian oil facilities, as it affects Moscow's ability to export diesel to the United States, under the agreement Washington reached with Russia, in an attempt to lower fuel prices.
Since the outbreak of the war with Iran in February, fuel prices in the United States have risen sharply, especially diesel, which has harmed Trump's popularity among Americans, something he seeks to address before the midterm congressional elections scheduled for next month.
During a press conference following the EU summit, Zelensky was asked if he felt Trump was making him a scapegoat for his domestic political problems.
After a pause of about 15 seconds, during which Zelensky listened to the translation of the question, a wide smile spread across his face, which elicited laughter from the journalists present.
Zelensky said: "This is my answer."
The diesel deal angered Zelensky, who called it a gift to Putin, and said on Friday it would "put more money directly into Putin's pocket to fund this war."
The Ukrainian president's anger grew earlier this week after restrictions were imposed on the US Starlink internet network, which Ukrainian forces rely heavily on for their military capabilities to defend the country.
During a slowdown in network services on Tuesday evening, Russia launched several deadly strikes on Ukraine, and residents and the Ukrainian government said the attacks occurred without any prior warning.
Zelensky described the slowdown in Starlink services on Friday as a "very serious and unpleasant surprise," adding that the network's connection speeds had not yet fully returned to their normal levels.
The Trump administration had previously warned of the possibility of halting intelligence sharing with Kyiv, which is vital for Ukrainian defenses, if it did not stop targeting Russian oil refineries.
While diplomatic wrangling continues, deadly attacks on Ukraine also continue.
Several people were killed in a Russian drone attack targeting the city of Kharkiv on Thursday evening.
In contrast, Russian officials said the airspace over Moscow was closed for hours following Ukrainian attacks, indicating the interception of 644 drones over 26 Russian regions, including a region containing a heating facility east of the capital.
Satellite images have revealed that Russia is nearing completion of a drone base in just six weeks, as Kyiv continues to respond with its air capabilities.
Experts told the BBC's verification team that the new facility, located about 3.5 kilometers from the Millerovo airbase, near the border in Russia's Rostov region, appears to be designed to accommodate jet-powered drones with significant offensive capabilities, whose use has been linked to deadly attacks on civilian sites.
The site was just empty land until late August.
Justin Crump, from the risk intelligence company Sibylline, said the new base indicates Moscow's intention to "increase the pace of its strikes against Ukraine during the coming winter."
In contrast, images provided by the American intelligence information company Vantor show that a Ukrainian missile attack destroyed several Russian Sukhoi Su-34 fighter-bombers at the Borisoglebsk airbase in Russia's Voronezh region.
The images show extensive fire damage, debris, and severe damage at a site where, according to a photo taken days earlier, several Su-34 fighter-bombers were lined up on the tarmac.
