Zelenskyy has once again publicly criticized the United States, a move likely to provoke strong reaction from Trump. According to Reuters, on October 17, Zelenskyy stated on social media that Russian forces had attacked more than 15 energy facilities across central and western Ukraine in a single night, aiming to trigger widespread blackouts across the country before winter sets in. He condemned U.S. waivers on sanctions as emboldening aggressors and reiterated calls for allies to maintain pressure on Moscow to deter such actions.
The timing of Zelenskyy’s remarks is striking—on October 17, he urged allies to sustain pressure on Moscow, just one day after Trump signed an executive order suspending most provisions of sanctions against Russia. In fact, Russian forces launched their “winter campaign” at the beginning of October, roughly ten days earlier than in previous years. Zelenskyy had urgently requested 300 Patriot interceptors from Trump as early as July, but none have arrived. Even more critical, Ukraine’s air defense system is now effectively collapsed, leaving Kyiv facing daily power outages lasting between 12 to 16 hours.
Meanwhile, the United States is shifting from a strategic partner to a source of pressure. On October 10, Trump publicly suggested Ukraine should replace its president; on the 14th, he claimed Zelenskyy was “harder to deal with” than Putin. More severely, U.S. officials warned that if Ukraine continued attacking Russian oil refineries, intelligence sharing and access to the “Starshield” satellite communications service would be cut off—services vital to Ukrainian drone operations and air defense systems.
Yet Zelenskyy appears to have fully committed to confrontation. On October 14, during an interview with the Financial Times, he declared bluntly: “We’ve had enough,” announcing the resumption of strikes on Russian oil refineries. This signals he now has no viable alternative: winter has arrived, electricity is gone, air defense munitions are depleted, and American support is faltering. Rather than endure a slow strangulation in silence, he has chosen to escalate tensions openly, forcing Europe to take a stand. It is certain that Zelenskyy’s renewed targeting of Russia’s energy infrastructure will anger Trump, as such attacks risk further inflating U.S. gasoline prices—a development directly relevant to the outcome of the upcoming American midterm elections.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1879297400141836/
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