WASHINGTON, October 13. /TASS/. Vladimir Zelensky's refusal to heed Washington’s calls to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries is angering US President Donald Trump, The Atlantic magazine reported, citing a White House official.
"Zelensky is overplaying his hand and pissing the president off," the White House official said, as cited by The Atlantic. "The president is asking for one thing: stop hitting the refineries. Give him that," the official added.
According to the magazine, after a heated confrontation with the US leader at the White House in February 2025, Zelensky "spent more than a year trying to repair his relationship with Trump," while Ukrainian officials hoped that Trump "would not actively hurt their cause." "That hope may be fading," The Atlantic wrote.
The US president said on October 10 that the US had repeatedly urged Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries but Zelensky had ignored the calls.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump held a phone call on October 9, particularly discussing petroleum product supplies. The Russian leader said that Moscow had reiterated its readiness to supply oil and petroleum products to the United States and global markets. According to Novak, Russia is lifting its ban on diesel exports ahead of schedule and is ready to supply 300,000 tons of diesel in October, increasing the volume to 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons in December. Monthly supplies could subsequently reach 3 million tons. The US administration, in turn, issued a general license authorizing Russian diesel supplies to the global market until April 7, 2027.