▲ President Zelensky (left) and President Trump
Ukraine resumed airstrikes on Russian oil refineries on the 15th local time, defying pressure from the U.S. administration under Donald Trump.
This came just a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized Russia's ongoing attacks in an interview with the Financial Times the previous day, declaring that he would confront the situation head-on despite the risk of worsening relations with the U.S.
In response, U.S. President Donald Trump labeled Ukraine's resumption of attacks on Russian oil facilities as "disgraceful," openly expressing frustration toward President Zelensky and setting the two leaders on a direct collision course.
According to comprehensive foreign media reports, Ukraine attacked an oil refinery located in the Ryazan region, southeast of Moscow, on this day.
The facility, owned by Russia's state-owned oil company Rosneft, accounts for approximately 5% of Russia's total oil refining capacity.
Officials in the Ryazan region claimed that the refinery was targeted by 69 drones and four Flamingo cruise missiles.
Ukraine also stated that it used Neptune cruise missiles to strike an airfield in Russia's southern Voronezh region, shooting down four Su-34 fighter jets and damaging two others.
In an interview with the conservative U.S. media outlet Newsmax, President Trump strongly criticized Ukraine's resumption of attacks on Russian oil facilities, calling it "disgraceful."
President Trump, who recently unilaterally announced an "energy truce," made his displeasure clear, stating, "There are plenty of targets to hit, but if they attack diesel refineries, they are doing something that does not help the world."
In particular, referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, President Trump disparaged him by saying he "doesn't like him very much" and that he is a harder figure to deal with than President Putin, while also claiming that Ukraine needs to hold an election.
This marked a repeated display of distrust toward President Zelensky, once again raising the necessity of a change in Ukraine's leadership.
For President Trump, who faces the urgent task of stabilizing energy prices ahead of the November midterm elections, President Zelensky—who is out of sync with his plans—is hardly a welcome presence.
▲ Russian oil refinery attacked by Ukraine (File Photo)
Ukraine had refrained from attacking Russia's energy sector since President Trump announced the energy truce on the 11th.
However, Russia did not stop its attacks on Ukrainian power plants and other facilities during this period.
President Trump turned a blind eye to Russia's attacks while intensifying pressure solely on Ukraine.
Speculation even arose that these were measures to coerce Ukraine into an energy truce, especially after early warning systems against Russian ballistic missile attacks were abruptly cut off and speed limits were even imposed on the Starshield system used for military purposes.
Ukraine's early warning system relies heavily on the United States, and Starshield is the military version of Starlink, a U.S. commercial satellite internet service.
As this situation persisted, President Zelensky unleashed blunt remarks during an interview with the FT on his way to visit the United Kingdom.
He strongly criticized the Trump administration for dealing with Russia and openly showing affection for Russian President Vladimir Putin, while also declaring that his patience with Russia's continued attacks had run out.
President Zelensky's level of criticism was direct and fierce enough to cause concern in Europe.
Reuters pointed out that such sharp criticism could drive relations between the U.S. and Ukraine to their worst level since the outbreak of the war in 2022.
While President Trump has long shown a tendency to cozy up to Russia, he has not been particularly friendly toward President Zelensky.
During a summit at the White House in February of last year, President Trump publicly reprimanded President Zelensky, cooling bilateral relations until European nations stepped in to narrowly avert a disaster.
The difference this time is that President Zelensky is refusing to hold back and is publicly standing his ground, even as President Trump enforces an energy truce and goes as far as mentioning the need to replace the Ukrainian president.
Observations suggest that this crisis could prompt President Trump to ramp up his pressure on Ukraine overtly.
Ever since taking office last year, President Trump has stepped in to mediate, vowing to end the war in Ukraine in a short period and urging Ukraine to compromise.
Concerns are also rising within Ukraine that the conflict with the U.S. could lead to severe consequences.
This is because Ukraine relies heavily on U.S.-provided intelligence to defend against Russian attacks.
Russia, for its part, has not eased up on its bombing campaign against Ukraine.
Russia launched a barrage of drone attacks overnight targeting infrastructure in central Ukraine.
The Kremlin also criticized Ukraine's targeting of Russian energy infrastructure as running counter to U.S. peace efforts.
Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed the impact of Ukraine's refinery attacks on the same day, stating, "There was no particularly significant damage."
(Photo: AP, Captured from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's social media, Yonhap News)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.