Trump calls Ukraine's renewed strikes on Russian oil refineries 'a disgrace'

U.S. President Donald Trump has denounced Ukraine's renewed drone strikes on Russian oil refineries as a "disgrace," warning they drive up global energy costs ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy abandoned a brief energy ceasefire after continuous Russian strikes on Ukrainian power grids, exacerbating a severe rift with Washington over Starshield satellite disruptions and U.S. diesel deals with Moscow. As Trump expressed greater willingness to negotiate with Vladimir Putin, European Union leaders gathered in Brussels on October 16, 2026, to pledge unwavering military support and further sanctions against Russia.

Trump criticises Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries

• ▪In an interview with Newsmax aired on October 15, 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump called Ukraine's renewed strikes on Russian oil refineries a "disgrace."
• ▪Donald Trump stated that Ukraine's strikes on Russian diesel refineries drive up global oil prices ahead of the November 2026 U.S. midterm elections.
• ▪Donald Trump asserted that Ukraine should hit other military targets rather than diesel refineries that supply fuel required by global markets.

Disagreements over energy ceasefire

• ▪Donald Trump had unilaterally declared an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, though neither warring country formally agreed to the truce.
• ▪Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine abandoned a temporary energy ceasefire because Russia continued launching drone and missile strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

Trump's statements on Zelenskyy and peace efforts

• ▪Donald Trump asserted that Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not a good leader for the United States to deal with and does not genuinely want to settle the war.
• ▪Donald Trump attributed diplomatic difficulties in ending the Russian invasion of Ukraine to deep personal animosity between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
• ▪Donald Trump stated in a Newsmax interview that he finds Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy more difficult to deal with than Russian President Vladimir Putin.
• ▪Donald Trump called for national elections to be held in Ukraine, questioning whether Volodymyr Zelenskyy maintained public support while leading under martial law.

Restrictions on Starlink satellite services

• ▪Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated during a visit to London that the sudden restrictions on Starlink satellite access made him feel personally betrayed by Donald Trump.
• ▪Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that bandwidth restrictions on SpaceX Starshield satellite services hobbled Ukrainian military communications, drone operations, and air defenses.

Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian data centers

• ▪Ukrainian drone strikes targeted Yandex data centers in Russia's Ryazan and Kaluga regions in October 2026, causing nationwide online outages and service disruptions.
• ▪Ukrainian drone attacks inside Russia damaged Yandex data centers in Vladimir Oblast and Sberbank facilities in October 2026, disrupting Russian telecommunications and online services.

European leaders pledge support for Ukraine

• ▪French President Emmanuel Macron declared it crucial that Ukraine receives all necessary means to protect itself against Russian military attacks.
• ▪Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk publicly reassured Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Ukraine is not alone in its conflict against Russia.
• ▪European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged backing for Volodymyr Zelenskyy during an EU summit in Brussels on October 16, 2026.