Zelensky rallies EU support as Trump says Ukraine leader 'more difficult to deal with than Putin'

What the report says

US President Donald Trump has sharply criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky again, telling US media that Zelensky is harder to work with than Vladimir Putin. Trump also described Ukraine’s renewed strikes on Russian oil refineries as a “disgrace,” comments that came as Zelensky was in Brussels for talks with European Union leaders.

According to the BBC, Zelensky had temporarily paused those strikes at Trump’s request for an energy ceasefire, but said they would restart because Russia had not stopped its own attacks. The article says the Ukrainian leader has not publicly responded to Trump’s latest remarks. In Brussels, he was pictured with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa, and held a series of meetings with European and NATO leaders.

The summit is taking place while fighting continues to inflict casualties inside Ukraine. The BBC reported that a Russian drone strike in Kharkiv killed several people and injured at least 14 others overnight. Von der Leyen said European backing for the ceasefire depended on Russia respecting it, and argued that sanctions should remain until Moscow ends the war.

The exchange highlights strain in US-Ukraine relations at a sensitive moment in the war. The BBC also noted broader tensions over energy policy, including Trump’s complaint that attacks on refineries could push global oil prices higher.