Politics · October 16, 2026
Trump says he’s ‘not a big fan’ of Zelensky after new strikes on Russian oil refineries
Tensions between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have escalated after Ukraine resumed drone strikes on Russian oil refineries, effectively ending a contested 'energy ceasefire.' Trump criticized the strikes as a 'disgrace' that increases global oil prices and stated he finds Zelenskyy 'more difficult to deal with than Putin.' Zelenskyy, meeting with EU leaders in Brussels who reaffirmed their support, argued the strikes are necessary as Russia continued to bomb Ukrainian power infrastructure despite the truce. This diplomatic friction occurs amid reports of restricted Starlink satellite access for Ukrainian forces and a controversial U.S. deal to import Russian diesel intended to lower American fuel prices ahead of midterm elections.
Read the original coverage
- BBCCenter
Zelensky says Ukraine has right to defend itself after Trump calls latest strikes a 'disgrace'
Read at BBC ↗ - NBC NewsCenter-left
Trump says Ukraine resuming strikes on Russian oil sites is a ‘disgrace’
Read at NBC News ↗ - The GuardianCenter-left
Trump calls Ukraine’s renewed strikes on Russian oil refineries ‘a disgrace’
Read at The Guardian ↗ - The HillCenter
Trump: Zelensky 'not a good guy for us to deal with'
Read at The Hill ↗ - New York PostRight
Trump attacks Ukraine’s Zelensky after he says ‘we’re done’ with energy cease-fire: ‘That’s a disgrace’
Read at New York Post ↗ - Washington ExaminerRight
Trump 'not a big fan' of Zelensky after new strikes on Russian oil refineries
Read at Washington Examiner ↗ - Just the NewsRight
Trump condemns Ukranian attacks on Russian refineries, says he's "not a fan" of Zelensky
Read at Just the News ↗
Reported across the spectrum
- Donald Trump stated he is 'not a big fan' of Zelenskyy and called him 'more difficult to deal with than Putin' in a Newsmax interview.
- Ukraine resumed strikes on Russian oil refineries, citing continued Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
- Trump criticized the refinery strikes for potentially raising global oil prices.
- Zelenskyy met with EU leaders in Brussels, referring to them as 'real leaders.'
- A disruption or slowdown occurred regarding Ukraine's access to Starlink/Starshield satellite services.
- The Trump administration recently arranged to import diesel from Russia to lower U.S. fuel prices.
Reported by only some outlets
- Elon Musk stated that Starshield is owned by the Department of War and its restrictions are determined by the Trump administration.
- Zelenskyy requested €70bn from the EU for defense and weapons for the coming year.
- Russia intercepted 644 Ukrainian drones over 26 regions according to Russian officials.
- The EU lifted sanctions against two Russian oligarchs at the request of France and Luxembourg.
- Satellite imagery suggests Russia is building a new drone base near Millerovo airbase.
Left-leaning outlets tend to emphasize…
The Guardian emphasizes that Trump's diesel deal with Russia was 'widely interpreted as an attempt to curb high fuel prices before the US midterm elections' and notes that U.S. efforts to end the war have made 'no progress.' It highlights a sense of 'betrayal' felt by Zelenskyy regarding the Starlink restrictions and frames EU leaders as the 'real leaders' in contrast to Trump.
Right-leaning outlets tend to emphasize…
The Washington Examiner and New York Post highlight Trump's perspective that Zelenskyy 'doesn't want to settle' and is 'destroying his country.' The New York Post includes claims from White House sources that Zelenskyy 'purposefully' misinterpreted the ceasefire to undermine Trump, while Just the News focuses on the economic impact of the strikes on global diesel supplies.
Centrist outlets tend to focus on…
BBC and NBC News focus on the strategic leverage Ukraine gained by hitting refineries and the domestic political pressure Trump faces regarding gas prices and the war with Iran. They detail the ambiguity surrounding the Starlink outage and the specific terms of the 'energy ceasefire' that Russia reportedly never formally accepted.
Where coverage diverges
Coverage diverges along left/right lines — see Framing tab for specifics.
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