Zelensky complains about US restrictions on supporting Ukraine... and Trump responds

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed on Monday that his country has not received an explanation from Washington regarding the restrictions that he says were imposed on satellite communications services and American intelligence information, warning of their impact on the ability of Ukrainian forces to confront Russian attacks.

According to a report on Axios, by journalist Barak Ravid, Zelensky presented these concerns during a virtual meeting with a group of US senators from both the Republican and Democratic parties, calling for pressure on the administration of President Donald Trump to remove the supposed restrictions.

Zelensky said that Elon Musk's "Starlink" services and the US military "Starshield" system are still subject to partial restrictions, despite the White House denying their existence.

He added: "We still have no explanation for this. All we hear are strange and different stories, unfortunately." He explained that these restrictions affect Ukraine's ability to shoot down Russian drones.

The Ukrainian president revealed that his country did not receive early warnings from the United States about Russian attacks with ballistic missiles on 3 occasions during the past week, including on Sunday.

He said that Kiev did not obtain a clear explanation from Washington regarding the reasons for this, considering that these developments may indicate a reduction in the exchange of intelligence information.

He also accused US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth of not approving the delivery of interceptor missiles for the Patriot systems and the AIM-9X missiles used in the NASAMS systems, even though countries in NATO had already paid for them.

He added: "We have almost no Patriot interceptor missiles left from our American partners."

Zelensky considered that these developments suggest a political decision to slow down support provided to Ukraine.

On the other hand, Trump denied stopping the exchange of intelligence information with Kiev, assuring reporters on Monday that cooperation in this field would continue.

He said that he did not know who issued the decision to slow down Starlink service, adding: “But I will find out.”

The US President renewed his criticism of Zelensky, saying that he does not help end the war with Russia.

According to Reuters, Trump said: “Maybe it is time for Zelensky to assign someone else to negotiate.”

He added that the United States provided a lot to Ukraine, while getting nothing in return, as he put it.

Axios quoted Ukrainian officials as saying that Trump's envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, asked Kiev again to stop targeting Russian oil refineries.

Zelensky told senators that he proposed stopping these strikes for 30 days, in exchange for providing Ukraine with Patriot interceptor missiles during the same period.

He added that the American envoys have not yet shown a willingness to accept the proposal.

Ukrainian officials had accused the Trump administration of using military and intelligence assistance to pressure Kiev to make concessions in peace negotiations, while the US administration denied imposing such restrictions or making threats to stop support.

These statements reflect the widening disagreement between Washington and Kiev regarding the conditions for ending the war, amid continuing controversy over the level of American military support for Ukraine.