Trump says Zelenskyy agreed to slow strikes on Russian oil refineries
US President Donald Trump (photo:Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump said he asked Volodymyr Zelenskyy to "slow down" strikes on Russian oil refineries. According to Trump, the Ukrainian president allegedly responded that he would probably do that, Trump told reporters.
"Uh, the big problem is the refineries in Russia are being blown up. This isn't really a Middle Eastern problem, this is more of a Russia problem, that Ukraine and Russia are going at it, and Ukraine is blowing up diesel refineries in Russia because they do a lot of the refinin," the US president said.
Journalists asked what the Ukrainian president had said in response. According to Trump, Zelenskyy said, "Well, we'll probably do that..."
Zelenskyy's remark is known only from Trump's account — there has been no direct confirmation from the Ukrainian president or his office so far.
Trump explained his request by saying that strikes on Russian oil refineries could create a "world problem." He added that "there are other things he (Zelenskyy - ed.) can do."
Finnish President Alexander Stubb previously said that Trump had doubled his efforts to end the war in Ukraine. According to him, the US team is doing increasingly more to bring Russia's war against Ukraine to an end as soon as possible.
Trump had also previously made a public call for Zelenskyy and Putin to go to negotiations.
