‘We aren’t selling our country. This isn’t about business for us.’ Zelensky says he feels betrayed, accuses Trump of siding with Moscow against Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he regrets that Kyiv is losing a strong ally in Washington.
Asked about his first reaction to the “diesel deal” between Russia and the United States, Zelensky told journalist Piers Morgan in an interview: “It’s a pity that we’re losing a strong partner.”
Asked whether he felt betrayed by Trump, the Ukrainian president said, “Yes, but it’s a little bit more complicated than just my emotions or my feelings.”
Zelensky said Ukraine is “losing” the United States through no fault of its own. Kyiv “can’t be weak,” he said, or it “will not survive.” “We are not selling our country. Look guys, it’s not about business for us. [It’s about] our lives — this is our country. It’s our home, our children,” he added.
Zelensky said it was “painful” when U.S. President Donald Trump “took a side, and it’s not our side,” adding that he has no objection to Trump taking a neutral position.
But if you’re in the middle, you have to stay in the middle, not on the wrong side. I think his advisers are wrong. I don’t know who is pushing him not to the right side. This is not the right side of history.
Zelensky also said he considers businessman Elon Musk’s decision to restrict Starlink’s operation in Ukraine a mistake that will cost lives.
Trump said on October 10 that he had reached an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Russian diesel supplies. The next day, he said Russia and Ukraine had agreed to a truce covering the energy sector. Zelensky said the announced truce “was news” to him. Trump also recently said Ukraine needs to find a new president who can “make a deal.”
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What’s this about?
On October 14, the Ukrainian military reported that SpaceX had restricted the operation of Starlink satellite communications terminals used by Ukrainian forces on the front lines. The restrictions affected Starshield, the military version of Starlink.