The Ukrainian leader has sought congressional intervention amid an increasingly bitter confrontation with the White House
Vladimir Zelensky has appealed to a bipartisan group of US senators to pressure President Donald Trump into lifting alleged restrictions on US military assistance and intelligence sharing, Axios reported on Monday.
During a virtual meeting with lawmakers led by Republican Senator Thom Tillis and Democrat Richard Blumenthal on Monday, Zelensky complained about alleged disruptions to weapons deliveries, satellite communications, and early warnings of Russian missile attacks, according to a transcript obtained by Axios from Ukrainian officials.
The Ukrainian leader suggested that the Trump administration deliberately “slowed down support” to force Kiev into accepting a negotiated settlement with Moscow.
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The lobbying effort comes as Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with Kiev’s refusal to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries, which he blamed for worsening the global diesel shortage and driving up fuel prices for US consumers.
The dispute escalated earlier this month after Trump struck a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to ease restrictions on Russian diesel exports and increase supplies to the global market. Kiev condemned the agreement, accusing Washington of making concessions to Moscow behind Ukraine’s back.
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner reportedly reminded Ukrainian negotiators during talks in Miami that Washington is supplying Kiev with weapons and intelligence and that Ukraine should not pursue attacks that hurt American consumers. Ukrainian officials interpreted the remarks as a threat to suspend the assistance unless the refinery strikes stop.
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The Trump administration has denied issuing any ultimatums. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has rejected claims that the administration deliberately restricted intelligence sharing or Starlink access. The Pentagon has likewise denied changing its intelligence-sharing policy.
Yet Zelensky continued to challenge the administration, telling senators that SpaceX’s Starlink and the US military’s Starshield satellite systems remain partially restricted and that Ukraine missed US early warnings about Russian ballistic missile attacks on three occasions over the past week.
He also accused Secretary of War Pete Hegseth of holding up Patriot interceptor missiles and AIM-9X missiles that NATO countries already purchased for Kiev.
The Washington Post reported that the Pentagon has yet to authorize certain transfers of Patriot missiles from third countries.
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Following the meeting, Blumenthal pledged further congressional action, saying bipartisan support for Kiev remains “clear and unequivocal.”
Trump lashed out at Zelensky on Monday, accusing him of obstructing efforts to end the conflict and suggesting that someone else should negotiate on Ukraine’s behalf.
“Zelensky doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Trump told reporters. “Maybe it’s time for Zelensky to get someone else to negotiate… We’ve given a lot to Ukraine, they’ve given nothing to us.”