Donald Trump has declined to blame Vladimir Putin for starting the war in Ukraine, while denying that the United States was responsible for a disruption to Kyiv’s use of the Starlink satellite communications system.
The stance puts the US President at odds with Britain and other allies, as tensions between Washington and Kyiv continue to grow. Russia launched its full-scale invasion after Mr Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in 2022 in an attempt to overthrow its pro-Western government.
When asked whether he had forgotten that the Russian leader began the conflict, Mr Trump did not answer directly. “I know the details, OK, and at some point I’ll release the details,” he said. “But I don’t care anything except for one. I want that war ended.”
Speaking as he left the White House for a campaign rally in Georgia, Mr Trump again criticised Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, saying he was “not a big fan” and was “more difficult to deal with than Putin”.
Mr Trump has previously suggested that Ukraine needed a new leader and claimed that Mr Putin was more interested in reaching a peace agreement.
The comments came as Mr Zelensky attended a European Union summit in Brussels, where he indicated that he agreed he was being made a scapegoat by Mr Trump over soaring fuel prices linked to the Iran war.
Starlink disruption denied by Trump
Mr Zelensky had also accused the US President of betraying Ukraine by limiting its use of Starlink terminals, which are operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX and are vital to the Ukrainian military.
Mr Trump rejected the allegation on Friday. “We didn’t do that. We didn’t slow it down at all,” he said.
Starlink provides high-speed internet across much of the world and has become important to Ukrainian battlefield communications and drone operations. The service allows drones to remain connected to their operators over long distances and to counter Russian drones.
On Tuesday night, however, Starlink unexpectedly restricted the speed at which Ukrainian drones could operate while maintaining an internet connection. Connectivity was restored by Wednesday evening.
The US government has allowed Ukraine to use Starlink and Starshield in its defence against Russia. The disruption hampered Kyiv’s ability to protect itself from incoming Russian drone attacks.
The latest dispute follows Mr Trump’s deal to buy Russian diesel, which critics in the US and abroad have warned could provide money for Mr Putin’s war effort. He also announced that Russia and Ukraine had agreed not to target each other’s energy facilities.
After initially observing the ceasefire, Mr Zelensky abandoned the brief truce amid continued Russian attacks, drawing criticism from the American President. Mr Trump told Newsmax: “All he’s doing is making the world oil price higher. Well, I think that’s a disgrace.”
Mr Zelensky later said the diesel deal would not offset the impact of the Strait of Hormuz on global markets, but would put “more money straight into Putin’s pocket to fund this war”. He also said Mr Putin did not want peace talks “at the moment, in any form”.
The dispute has raised concerns about further reductions in US support for Ukraine. At the EU summit, Mr Zelensky thanked the bloc for its backing and praised its “real leaders”.
Wes Streeting, the Defence Secretary, used his first visit to Washington in the role to try to “bring harmony” between the White House and Kyiv. He argued that continued American support was necessary, warning that rewarding Moscow’s aggression would have consequences beyond Ukraine and Europe.
