‘Absolutely not true’ - Zelensky rejects Trump's claims over rising US diesel prices
Key Takeaways
- The Ukrainian president denies responsibility for rising US diesel prices.
- Both leaders remain at odds over intelligence-sharing, Starlink services and Ukraine's leadership.
- US envoy Steve Witkoff meets Putin as Russia suggests further trilateral discussions.
The Ukrainian president disputes Trump's claims about attacks on Russian refineries, calling it unacceptable to blame him for rising diesel prices in America.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected Donald Trump's claims that Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries are responsible for rising diesel prices in the United States.
Speaking in an interview with Steven Bartlett on The Diary of a CEO, published on Thursday, Zelensky accused the US president of unfairly blaming him instead of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"The president decided to blame me for this problem instead of Putin, telling his people that diesel prices in America were rising because of it. That is absolutely not true. And I don’t understand it. I have a good relationship with President Trump, and I think it’s wrong and unacceptable for him to pin this on me," he said.
His remarks come amid growing disagreements between Washington and Kyiv over Ukraine's military operations and US support for the country.
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Over the past two weeks, Trump and Zelensky have repeatedly clashed over several issues, including allegations that the United States restricted intelligence-sharing and Starlink satellite services.
Ukraine accused Washington of cutting access to the services, but the White House denied the allegations.
Trump has also suggested that Ukraine should have a new president, further exposing tensions between the two leaders.
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts involving Washington and Moscow have continued.
On Wednesday, US envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg for discussions.
Following the meeting, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov suggested that the next stage of negotiations could involve a trilateral meeting at "expert level", potentially in Abu Dhabi.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
