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By Linda Ikeji 19 October 2026, 1:00 pm 0 comments
US President Donald Trump has sharply criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after Ukrainian forces launched a major drone attack against energy infrastructure in Saint Petersburg, defying White House requests to halt strikes on Russian oil facilities.
Writing on Truth Social, Trump expressed concern that deep strikes into Russian territory could disrupt peace negotiations.
He stated that he does not want to drive Moscow away from the bargaining table and accused Zelensky of resisting efforts to conclude the war.
The diplomatic rift expanded after Trump signed an executive order waiving Congressional economic sanctions against Russia.
Speaking on NBC's Meet the Press, Zelensky warned that waiving sanctions would strengthen Moscow's war effort and described potential US alignment with Russia as a "historic mistake".
Overnight, Ukrainian long-range drones struck the Saint Petersburg Oil Terminal, a major Baltic export hub with a capacity exceeding 12 million tons annually, causing significant fires at the site and surrounding logistics centers.
Russia’s Defense Ministry reported intercepting over 1,000 drones across multiple regions. Despite the escalating friction, Zelensky confirmed ongoing contact with US presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to discuss diplomatic frameworks, maintaining that Kyiv remains committed to pursuing a sustainable peace agreement.
Meanwhile, diplomatic officials in Washington and Moscow acknowledged preliminary discussions regarding a potential trilateral meeting between Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
English (US) ·