The Kyiv Independent’s Tim Zadorozhnyy speaks with Meaghan Mobbs about the strained U.S.-Ukraine relations, U.S. President Donald Trump’s diesel deal with Russia, and pressure on Kyiv to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries.

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized Zelensky, saying Ukraine should consider finding someone else to negotiate on its behalf.

"I am grateful for his readiness to help and his clear position," President Volodymyr Zelensky said after the conversation.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has yet to approve the transfer of a significant batch of Patriot interceptor missiles for Ukraine, Ukrainian officials and military officers told the Kyiv Independent, raising suspicions in Kyiv that Washington is deliberately withholding the weapons to pressure Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on

"Tens of thousands of families are without power," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Why is Putin pushing Trump to stop Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil refineries? Historian and journalist Anne Applebaum argues that these attacks are putting real pressure on Moscow — and that Trump’s approach risks giving Russia more time to continue its war against Ukraine.

"It will all come down to the banking system, individual people, and the chemical industry," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.