Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that U.S. President Donald Trump told him that Kyiv could respond to Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure by striking back in kind, as Ukraine continues its operations against Russian refineries.
“If they attack our energy, President Trump supports us responding with [strikes on] their energy,” Zelensky said in an interview with Axios, published on September 25.
He added that Trump had also given the green light for retaliatory strikes on Russia’s military factories. However, Zelensky noted that such targets may be harder to hit due to their high levels of protection.
Zelensky’s remarks come just days after he met with Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 23.
The meeting was followed by a sudden shift in Trump’s stance, when he said that Ukraine could regain control of its borders “with time, patience, and financial support from Europe and, especially, NATO,” Rel reported.
“[Russian President Vladimir] Putin and Russia are in BIG TROUBLE,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, suggesting that economic problems were among the reasons he expressed confidence in Ukraine’s ability to prevail.
The Kremlin denied these claims on September 24, while acknowledging that “yes, Russia is facing some tensions and problems in certain sectors of the economy.”
Zelensky also said he informed Trump that Ukraine possesses drones capable of striking deep into Russian territory.
Meanwhile, Kyiv has recently continued its strikes on Russian oil refineries. A day after Zelensky’s meeting with Trump, Ukraine targeted the Salavat oil complex, one of the largest in Russia.
Salavat is located about 1,500 kilometers from the front lines in Ukraine.
