Trump Criticizes Zelensky After Major Ukrainian Drone Attack on Russia

Ukraine launched one of its largest drone attacks of the year against Russia over the weekend, targeting critical infrastructure, including an oil export terminal near St. Petersburg, as tensions grew between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump, Tim Lister and Daria Tarasova-Markina reported for CNN.

Ukraine Launches a Major Drone Attack on Russian Territory Amid Renewed Tensions With US President Donald Trump Over the War. [Photo: Bin im Garten, Wikimedia Commons]

Russian authorities reported that more than 1,000 Ukrainian drones were launched during the overnight assault.

The attack targeted the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal, a major facility for Russian oil exports, according to Russian officials and media reports.

The strikes came amid worsening relations between Washington and Kyiv, raising concerns in Ukraine about the future of US military and diplomatic support as the country prepares for another winter of Russian attacks.

In an interview with NBC News’ Meet the Press, Zelensky warned that the United States siding with Russia would be a “historic mistake.”

The dispute has centered partly on energy infrastructure. Trump said the previous week that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to stop attacking each other’s energy facilities.

However, neither government publicly confirmed a comprehensive agreement, and attacks on energy infrastructure continued on both sides.

Ukrainian officials reported continued Russian strikes against their country’s energy facilities, while Ukraine maintained its campaign of long-range attacks against targets inside Russia.

In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump said he did not want to take actions that might discourage Moscow from participating in negotiations to end the war.

He added that he believed “great progress is being made.”

Trump also criticized Zelensky, saying the Ukrainian leader did not want to end the war and probably never had.

Zelensky, meanwhile, continued diplomatic contacts with US officials, including envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, as Kyiv sought to maintain Washington’s involvement in efforts to end the conflict.

The latest exchanges underscore the difficulty of negotiating a ceasefire while both countries continue military operations against targets they consider strategically important.