Zelenskyy blasts U.S.-Russia diesel deal after Trump calls Ukraine strikes on refineries 'a disgrace'

Well, there appears to be a widening public split this morning between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky. The two leaders increasingly divided over how Ukraine should be fighting back against Russia. There is a new report. The White House put restrictions on Ukraine's use of the militarized version of Starlink, blocking Ukrainian forces from using faster, longer range attack drones, hampering Ukraine's ability to defend itself from Russian airstrikes. And speaking just last hour. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says access is slowly returning to normal. The restrictions happened earlier this week after Trump demanded Ukraine end airstrikes on Russian oil refineries. The U.S. President is trying to get Russian diesel in an attempt to bring down U.S. energy prices ahead of the midterm elections. Let's bring in Crystal Crystal Gamansing from London who's been watching this story for us through the morning. New remarks from both U.S. President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky showing just how deep this rift between the two leaders may be. Yeah, absolutely, Linda. The relationship is strained between Ukraine and the United States and it comes at a really, really critical time. You have pressure on the American president ahead of the midterm elections next month and you have the ongoing Russian strikes on Ukraine and people in Ukraine expressing fears of exactly how bad it's going to get in the winter if they lose electricity, if they lose heat. So all of this culminating in some very tense language being expressed by both parties, specifically U.S. President Donald Trump in an interview with Newsmax yesterday, where he didn't hold back, saying that Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries were, quote, a disgrace, and talking about how difficult he finds it to deal with the Ukrainian president. Zelensky is not a good guy for us to deal with. If they're going to end up with a settlement of some kind, they're not going to do it with him. He doesn't want to settle. He says he wants to settle, but he doesn't. No, I'm not a big fan of Zelensky. I find Zelensky to be more difficult to deal with than Putin. So that is a very strong statement, and that exact statement was put to the is in Brussels for the European summit. Let's hear how he responded when he was asked exactly what he thinks of the U.S. president, saying he is more difficult to deal with. It's more difficult to deal with me than with Putin? So it's either with him than with Putin, then? For me, to get along with Trump. In my view, we cannot perceive diesel deals, these arrangements. We cannot accept them. If I don't stand up to this, if I don't defend it, who else will do this? So obviously a level of frustration there as the Ukrainian president tries to be careful with the words he is using. He is, of course, Linda, in Brussels meeting with European leaders, showing up support European leaders saying that Ukraine and Ukrainians can count on the EU. Thanks very much, Crystal. That's Crystal Gamansing in London.