Trump Calls Zelensky A Disgrace After Ukraine Strikes Russian Refineries
President Trump slammed Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday after Ukraine ended an energy cease-fire and struck Russian oil sites.
Trending Newsfeed Staff Writer · Oct 16, 2026 · 2 min read
President Trump attacked Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday after Kyiv ended a proposed energy cease-fire. The President told Newsmax host Rob Finnerty that Zelensky’s actions drive up global oil prices.
Trump stated that Zelensky is making the world oil price higher by striking refineries.
The President called the move a “disgrace” during his interview. He said there are plenty of other targets for Ukraine to hit instead. Trump told the host, “I’m not a big fan of Zelensky,” per the Washington Examiner.
Ukraine announced it was “done” honoring the deal on Thursday while Zelensky visited London. He told the Financial Times that his country unilaterally held the truce while Russia kept attacking. Moscow launched over 100 strikes on Ukrainian energy sites in the past week alone.
Pavel Malkov, the governor of Russia’s Ryazan province, reported that Ukrainian drones hit a state oil building. A fire started after the strike on the facility. Russian defense officials said they intercepted 644 Ukrainian drones overnight across multiple regions.
Trump blamed former President Joe Biden for giving Zelensky billions in aid before the current crisis. He also blamed Barack Obama for the 2014 annexation of Crimea by Russia. The President argued that these past leaders failed to stop Putin from seizing the strategic peninsula.
Trump described Zelensky as “not a good guy for us to deal with,” according to the New York Post. He claimed Zelensky says he wants peace but does not actually want to settle the war. The President added that he finds Zelensky “more difficult to deal with than Putin.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitriy Peskov agreed with Trump’s assessment on Friday. Peskov said Zelensky does not want to take responsibility for moving toward a peaceful resolution.
Trump has been trying to end the four-and-a-half-year-old invasion since returning to the White House. He believes both leaders want the conflict to end, but he sees deep hatred between them.