Trump Renews Criticism of Zelenskyy Amid Patriot Shortage
US President Donald Trump has renewed his criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Ukraine faces a severe shortage of Patriot air-defence interceptors amid intensified Russian missile attacks.
Trump targets Zelenskyy over peace efforts
Speaking in an interview with Newsmax, Trump described Zelenskyy as “not a good guy for us to deal with” and questioned whether the Ukrainian leader could deliver a negotiated settlement with Russia.
Trump said he was “not a big fan” of Zelenskyy and claimed the Ukrainian president did not genuinely want to reach a settlement, despite publicly saying he wanted the war to end.
The comments followed renewed Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure after Kyiv accused Moscow of continuing attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities despite US efforts to establish an energy ceasefire.
Ukraine faces Patriot missile shortage
The diplomatic tensions come as Ukraine faces an acute shortage of interceptor missiles for its US-made Patriot air-defence systems.
Reports citing Ukrainian and NATO officials said available stocks had fallen to critically low levels following repeated Russian ballistic missile attacks. Zelenskyy has also acknowledged a severe shortage of Patriot PAC-2 and PAC-3 interceptors.
Ukraine relies heavily on the Patriot system because it is among the few weapons in its arsenal capable of intercepting some Russian ballistic missiles.
Zelenskyy seeks further air-defence support
Zelenskyy has continued pressing the United States and European allies for additional Patriot missiles, arguing that Ukraine requires defensive weapons if it is expected to limit strikes on Russian energy infrastructure.
The latest dispute adds to growing tensions between Washington and Kyiv over energy attacks, military assistance and efforts to negotiate an end to the war.
