US-Ukraine Ties Hit New Low as Trump Slights Zelenskyy, Eases Up on Russia/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Russian missile and drone attacks killed at least seven people in Ukraine as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sought additional support during a visit to Norway. The attacks caused power outages in 12 regions amid Ukrainian complaints about delayed American missiles, intelligence warnings and satellite restrictions. Planned Oslo talks come as European officials and bipartisan U.S. lawmakers question Washington’s approach to Russia and Ukraine.
Quick Look
- Seven killed: Officials reported four deaths in the Kyiv region and three in a separate attack on the Kyiv-Odesa highway.
- Oslo diplomacy: Zelenskyy was due to meet Norwegian and Finnish leaders, with Steve Witkoff expected in person and Jared Kushner joining remotely.
- Air defense shortage: Zelenskyy said Ukraine has nearly exhausted its American-made Patriot interceptors.
- Support disputes: Kyiv reported delayed missile deliveries, missing intelligence warnings and continuing satellite speed restrictions.
- European criticism: EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas accused American negotiators of pressuring Ukraine to surrender.
- Congressional pressure: Republicans and Democrats are challenging sanctions relief and seeking answers about disruptions to Ukrainian military support.
Deep Look
Russian Missile and Drone Attacks Kill at Least Seven
Russian attacks killed at least seven people in Ukraine, officials said Tuesday, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to Norway to seek stronger American and European backing.
Regional police reported four deaths and 27 injuries in the Kyiv region over the preceding day.
Three people were killed and six wounded in the Obukhiv district, where warehouses were damaged. In the Bucha district, a woman was killed and 21 people were injured, including eight children. Hundreds of buildings were damaged, police said.
A separate Russian attack Tuesday morning struck the Kyiv-Odesa highway, killing three people and injuring four when two vehicles caught fire, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service.
The dead included the driver of a shuttle bus transporting people from Kyiv to the National Military Memorial Cemetery.
National electricity operator Ukrenergo reported power outages across 12 Ukrainian regions following the attacks.
Zelenskyy Seeks Support at Oslo Meetings
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb were scheduled to meet Zelenskyy in Oslo.
The Norwegian government said U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff was also expected to attend, while Jared Kushner would participate by videoconference.
Witkoff and Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, have sought to negotiate a settlement between Russia and Ukraine, but their efforts have not produced an agreement.
The meetings come amid worsening relations between Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump, whose recent decisions to waive Russian sanctions and purchase Russian diesel have drawn criticism in Kyiv and Washington.
Zelenskyy Asks Rubio to Help Restore Vital Support
Zelenskyy said he spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is traveling in Asia, about maintaining American assistance.
The conversation followed a Monday briefing with bipartisan U.S. lawmakers in which Zelenskyy said he believed “some political decision has been made to slow down … support for us.”
He said Ukraine has nearly exhausted the American-made Patriot interceptors needed to defend against Russian ballistic missiles.
During the briefing, Zelenskyy said Ukraine had “almost no Patriot interceptors left from the United States” and claimed “the Pentagon is delaying the delivery of missiles that our partners have already paid for.”
He also sought Rubio’s assistance on intelligence sharing after Ukraine received missing or late warnings about recent Russian missile attacks.
Zelenskyy described their exchange as “a substantive conversation”.
“I am grateful for his readiness to help and his clear position,” he wrote on social media.
Trump and Rubio maintain that Washington has not stopped providing intelligence to Ukraine.
Satellite Restrictions Remain Unresolved
Zelenskyy also said speed restrictions continued to affect Ukraine’s use of SpaceX’s military-grade satellite internet service, disrupting battlefield operations.
Starshield, the military version of Starlink, supports Ukrainian military communications and drone operations. Zelenskyy said restrictions have prevented Ukrainian drones from intercepting Russia’s jet-powered drones.
Responsibility for the limitations remains disputed.
SpaceX chief Elon Musk has said Starshield is controlled by the United States and that restrictions are determined by the military and ultimately Trump.
Trump said Friday that he had not ordered restrictions and doubted Musk had done so.
Rubio said Saturday that Ukraine wanted access to Starshield but did not have it. On Monday, he said the Pentagon controls the system, that “Ukraine has benefited from it” and that Kyiv wants to expand its use for attacks beyond Ukrainian territory.
The U.S. military has not answered questions about its involvement.
Europe Steps Up as Kallas Criticizes American Negotiators
European governments are trying to compensate for possible reductions in American assistance, although some essential military equipment is manufactured in the United States.
According to Germany’s Kiel Institute, European countries and European Union institutions have allocated 237 billion euros, approximately $266 billion, to Ukraine. The comparable American total is 115 billion euros, or about $129 billion.
European officials view Ukraine as a barrier against wider Russian ambitions.
Speaking Tuesday to EU lawmakers in Strasbourg, France, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas questioned Washington’s role in negotiations.
“Although American negotiators have been trying to push Ukraine into surrender for … one and a half years now, why Ukraine hasn’t surrendered on Putin’s terms is because Europe has been supporting Ukraine,” she said.
“Ukraine wants peace more than anybody because they have been under this bombardment for already four years now,” Kallas said. “The only one who doesn’t want peace is Russia.”
Ukrainian officials say the Trump administration has encouraged Kyiv to give up territory in exchange for peace.
Trump Signals Openness to Talks Without Zelenskyy
The diplomatic strain deepened after reports of a possible meeting involving Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Trump said Monday that he was open to such a meeting, although he expected it to focus on denuclearization.
Asked about negotiating an end to the Ukraine war without Zelenskyy, Trump appeared receptive.
“I think it’s time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine,” he said.
Former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst described the administration’s current approach in stark terms.
“At this moment in time, things look blacker than they ever had regarding this administration’s policy towards Russia and Ukraine,” said Herbst, now an Atlantic Council scholar.
However, he noted that Trump has changed course before.
After last year’s Oval Office confrontation, when Trump told Zelenskyy to “make a deal or we are out,” Washington briefly suspended intelligence sharing. By July, Trump said the leaders had “actually developed a good relationship.”
“Trump is a mercurial guy,” Herbst said. “He can wake up tomorrow morning, decide he’s done enough on this, and he might start to lean back in the other direction.”
Russia Sanctions Waiver Draws Bipartisan Opposition
Trump waived new sanctions Friday that Congress had overwhelmingly approved to restrict the financial resources supporting Russia’s invasion.
The legislation was named for the late Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham.
The decision followed Trump’s agreement to import Russian diesel in an effort to reduce fuel prices. Critics in both parties argue that the arrangement will benefit Moscow without meaningfully lowering global prices, which have been elevated largely by the Iran war.
Zelenskyy has accused sanctions relief of encouraging further Russian attacks.
“Russia killed six people, including a mother and her child, who was just over a year old,” he wrote Monday, describing that day’s attacks. He added that this “is how Russia responds to sanctions waivers and reduced pressure.”
Those Monday remarks concerned an earlier casualty report, separate from Tuesday’s reported toll of at least seven.
Former Officials Question Trump’s Approach to Putin
Dan Fried, a former American ambassador to Poland and former assistant secretary of state for European affairs, said the administration’s shifting positions had left him puzzled.
He initially interpreted the Russian diesel agreement as an attempt to lower prices before the midterms, but subsequent developments changed his assessment.
“It all seems designed to put pressure on Zelenskyy and curry favor with Putin,” said Fried, now an Atlantic Council scholar.
Fiona Hill, who advised Trump on Russia during his first administration, suggested he could be trying to discourage Moscow from providing additional assistance to Iran.
Russia has supplied Tehran with drone technology and information that could help it target American military assets in the region.
“So maybe this is it — Putin’s just calling in a chit for not devastating Trump through Iran as he could do by helping the Iranians,” said Hill, now a Brookings Institution senior fellow.
That interpretation remains an assessment rather than a confirmed explanation of administration policy.
Trump wrote Sunday: “Russia is doing very little, if anything, to help the Islamic Republic of Iran, compared to what they could be doing, and I want to keep it that way, and will, unless stupid people get in the way.”
Lawmakers Demand Answers on Ukraine Support
Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania called for congressional hearings into the Starshield disruptions and “immediate harsh and punitive budget cuts to any responsible agency or agency head.”
Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said he and Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina organized Monday’s bipartisan call with Zelenskyy, including discussion of intelligence-sharing problems.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, urged Trump to consider Zelenskyy’s offer to stop attacks on Russian energy infrastructure in exchange for American targeting assistance against Russian missiles.
“President Trump can lower prices at the pump today by simply agreeing to this deal!” Wicker wrote on X.
Fried predicted congressional resistance to any agreement involving Russia and China that excluded Ukraine.
“It is clear that we are sitting on considerable leverage over Putin,” he said, “but also clear that we are not using it. It’s a mess.”
Russia Reports Strikes on Ports and Ukrainian Drone Attacks
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces struck logistics facilities, port infrastructure and three cargo ships at Reni in Ukraine’s Odesa region.
It also claimed another bulk carrier was hit at sea while heading toward Odesa.
Separately, the ministry said Russian air defenses intercepted 136 Ukrainian drones overnight across several regions.
Tambov Gov. Yevgeny Pervyshov reported that an attack caused a fire at an unspecified industrial facility.
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