Zelensky Says He Feels Betrayed by Trump as Starlink Restrictions Add to Ukraine’s Troubles

Ukraine’s president says he feels let down by the United States. Volodymyr Zelensky told a talk show host this week that Donald Trump’s decision to buy Russian fuel was a win for the Kremlin, and he warned that new limits on Starlink services could cost Ukrainian lives.

Zelensky made the remarks on Wednesday during an interview with Piers Morgan on the YouTube show “Piers Morgan Uncensored.” Morgan asked him directly whether the Trump administration had betrayed Ukraine. His answer was one word: “Yes.”

He called the fuel agreement a “simple victory” for Russia and said it was a pity to be losing a strong partner. Speaking about his country, he said it was painful when Trump picks a side that is not Ukraine’s, and he argued that anyone in the middle should stay in the middle. He also said Russia wants Trump to be weak and does not care about American elections.

Then, on Monday, Russian forces launched new attacks on Ukraine only hours after Trump said an “energy ceasefire” had begun. Neither Moscow nor Kyiv had publicly confirmed any such arrangement. Both sides have been hitting each other’s energy infrastructure from the air more often in recent weeks, while the front lines have barely moved.

During the interview, Zelenskyy praised Italian PM Giorgia Meloni and British PM Andy Burnham for their “strong” leadership in criticising Trump’s diesel deal with Putin.

Trump officials, the president included, said the sharing never stopped. Yet Ukraine went without missile warnings. According to CNN, US officials blamed the weather when Kyiv asked why. Ukrainian officials suspect it was on purpose, and a European official told the network that calling it a failure “can’t be the truth.”

Zelensky said Russian forces tried to take advantage by launching heavy strikes overnight. He told Morgan that Ukraine uses the service to defend against Russia’s jet-powered Shahed drones. Calling the decision a big mistake, he warned that it would bring many human losses and that people would die. His message to Elon Musk was to hope it was a huge technical problem and to switch the service back on.

“It’s a big mistake. This decision will bring a lot of human losses… People will die. My message (to Musk) is absolutely clear. I hope it’s a mistake, a huge technical problem. We’re asking (him) to switch on (the service),” Zelenskyy said.

Musk responded on Wednesday. He said Starshield is owned and controlled by the US government, so any limits on its speed or use are for the US military and president to decide.

Starlink, he added, is a commercial service run by SpaceX and is restricted to civilian or defensive purposes. He said it cannot be used for offensive military action because that would be inappropriate for a commercial company.

Sagar is a journalist with an interest primarily in geopolitics and Americ… Sagar is a journalist with an interest primarily in geopolitics and American domestic politics. Before joining Times Now, he wrote for Republic and Swarajya magazine. He attended journalism school at the University of Leeds. View MoreView Less