Zelenskyy: U.S. Pressuring Ukraine to Surrender… Points to White House as Behind Starlink Restrictions

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has claimed that the United States is pressuring his country to surrender to Russia.

In an interview with Bloomberg on the 18th (local time), President Zelenskyy made the remarks, stating that recent actions by the Donald Trump administration are working to Ukraine's disadvantage.

He stated that the internet speed of Starlink, a critical communication network for the Ukrainian military, is being intentionally restricted and that the supply of Patriot interceptor missiles needed to defend against Russian ballistic missiles is also being delayed.

When asked about who was behind the Starlink speed restrictions, President Zelenskyy answered, citing anonymous sources, "Authorities and the White House."

He also pointed out that the U.S. currently supplies Ukraine with only 12 Patriot interceptor missiles per month, which is a quarter of the supply rate during the Joe Biden administration.

"We have paid for weapons, including ballistic missile interception weapons," President Zelenskyy said. "This is not a technical issue."

"I believe measures have been taken to induce Ukraine's surrender," he claimed.

He added that while he does not want to believe the U.S. is trying to end the war early at Ukraine's expense, that is how it appears.

Regarding the U.S. demand to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries, President Zelenskyy noted that he had proposed linking it to the additional supply of Patriot air defense missiles.

However, targeting the Trump administration once again, he stated that the U.S. only wants Ukraine to stop its attacks on Russian oil refineries.

President Zelenskyy projected that relations between the two countries could improve after the U.S. midterm elections.

"Politics is very aggressive during election periods," he said. "This is a painful time, but I believe the situation will calm down after the elections."

Explaining efforts to restore relations with the U.S., President Zelenskyy emphasized, "We must resolve the issues before a tsunami-scale crisis hits Ukraine," adding, "Much larger issues are at stake than the transit agreement."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.