Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump clashed publicly over the weekend as Washington eased sanctions on Russia, with Zelensky accusing Trump of pressuring Kyiv to capitulate and Trump alleging Zelensky does not want to end the war.

Zelensky told Bloomberg on Sunday that he believed the U.S. had taken steps to persuade Ukraine to surrender, warning that Washington appeared to seek an early end to the war “at Ukraine’s expense.” He proposed halting Ukrainian strikes on Russian diesel refineries in exchange for additional Patriot air defense missile systems, after Trump called for an end to such attacks amid rising global diesel prices. “My latest model is this: we do not strike Russian diesel production, and you provide us with missiles for the Patriot systems to protect our facilities,” Zelensky said .

Trump responded on Truth Social, stating he was negotiating peace and did not want to “drive Russia away from the bargaining table.” He accused Zelensky of targeting Russian refineries despite the harm to global diesel markets, including the U.S., and claimed Zelensky “doesn’t want to end this war, and probably never did” . Trump also defended his decision to block new sanctions on Russia, citing progress in talks and a diesel supply deal with Moscow .

The dispute unfolded as Zelensky spoke with Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, on Sunday. Zelensky said “a lot depends on America” and that Ukraine was ready to work “constructively and honestly” with its partners, including on Patriot missile deliveries. He also told NBC that a formal U.S. shift toward Russia would be a “historic mistake” but noted the U.S. had resumed intelligence sharing after a pause .

The tensions came as both sides exchanged strikes on energy infrastructure. Russia left tens of thousands without power in Ukraine, while Kyiv launched its largest drone attack on St. Petersburg since 2022, hitting an oil refinery and other facilities . Zelensky accused Russia of violating Trump’s “energy ceasefire” 76 times and warned of further attacks ahead of winter.