Zelensky rallies EU support as Trump says Ukraine leader 'more difficult to deal with than Putin'
The US president launches a new wave of blistering criticism at Volodymyr Zelensky ahead of a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels.
Zelensky seeks EU backing as Trump says Ukraine leader is 'more difficult to deal with than Putin'
Zelensky arrived at a summit in Brussels alongside European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
US President Donald Trump has again sharply criticised Volodymyr Zelensky, saying the Ukrainian leader is "more difficult to deal with than [Russian President Vladimir] Putin".
Speaking to US media on Thursday evening, Trump also described Ukraine's latest wave of strikes on Russian oil refineries as a "disgrace".
Zelensky, who is in Brussels for a summit with EU leaders, had halted the attacks for three days at Trump's request for a ceasefire on energy targets, but said on Thursday the strikes would resume because Moscow had never stopped.
Meanwhile, deadly attacks on Ukraine continued overnight, with several people killed in a Russian drone strike in the north-eastern city of Kharkiv, the regional governor said.
At least 14 people were injured, Oleg Synegubov wrote on Telegram.
Zelensky has not responded to Trump's latest criticism. He arrived at the summit in Brussels accompanied by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa.
"Of course we supported President Trump's energy ceasefire but we've seen that Russia did not respect it, not a single minute," Von der Leyen told reporters. "Russia escalated and therefore we have to increase sanctions on Russia... We will not lift any sanctions unless Russia stops the war."
Trump's remarks about Zelensky, in an interview with US outlet Newsmax, point to the worsening relationship between the US and Ukraine.
"Zelensky is not a good guy for us to deal with," Trump said. "He doesn't want to settle. He says he wants to settle, but he doesn't," he added.
"I'm not a big fan of Zelenskyy".
Asked about Ukraine's renewed strikes on Russian oil refineries, Trump called them "a disgrace".
"All he's doing is making the world oil price higher... There are a lot of targets that you can hit."
Trump is irritated by Ukraine's continued attacks on Russian oil refineries because the US recently announced a deal to import 300,000 tonnes of Russian diesel to the American market, in an effort to lower fuel prices.
That deal, in turn, angered Zelensky, who described it as a gift to Putin.
Zelensky has been holding back-to-back talks with EU leaders while in Brussels. On Thursday he met Nato chief Marke Rutte, as well as the presidents of Poland, France, Denmark and Belgium.
A day earlier, he met UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham at No 10 in London.
At the summit on Friday, Zelensky said he would hold talks with the chiefs of the European Council and European Commission, and the prime ministers of Hungary, Finland, and Sweden.