Trump calls Ukraine's refinery strikes a 'disgrace' as EU leaders host Zelenskiy on winter needs
Trump called Ukraine's refinery strikes a 'disgrace' as EU leaders hosted Zelenskiy in Brussels with a $32.6 billion budget gap for next year unfunded. Funding and air defence are on the agenda, and the strikes' effect on European energy prices is disputed.
The Board Room · Leadership desk
An estimated $40 billion in direct military supplies from allies is not included in Ukraine's $32.6 billion unfunded budget gap for next year, per Marchenko. Zelenskiy said a plan agreed with European partners would close a $27 billion military spending deficit this year.
| Figure | Value | Note | Claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct military supplies from allies, estimated, not in gap | $40 billion | 7 | |
| Unfunded gap, next year | $32.6 billion | 6 | |
| Military spending deficit, this year | $27 billion | Zelenskiy: plan agreed to close it | 5 |
What happened
- Last weekend Trump took Zelenskiy by surprise with his announcement that Kyiv and Moscow had agreed to stop striking each other's energy facilities.
- Ukraine then struck a Russian oil refinery after Zelenskiy declared that Kyiv was abandoning the energy ceasefire Trump had announced.
- Russia placed local assets of French, German, Swedish and Dutch companies under temporary management.
- A US official said on Wednesday that the administration is considering easing sanctions on shadow fleet vessels that have carried oil and petroleum products from countries including Russia.
Why it matters
- Who's exposed exposure Companies with an EU parent and Russian subsidiaries now have a live example of how Moscow answers EU support for Kyiv.
- Who has to decide decision Capitals must choose between cash for Ukraine's budget and equipment in kind, and Jetten's remarks suggest the equipment is the easier pledge to get.
- What doesn't add up contradiction Trump says the refinery strikes lift world oil prices and Putin says they did little damage, so European energy costs cannot yet be pinned on Kyiv's strikes.
Zelenskiy named two needs himself as he arrived at the summit: air defence and funding. "The winter package is not only energy, it's also air defence and funding," he said [16]. Intelligence appears only as a worry: the Reuters report published by Yahoo News UK cites fears that the US could pull back intelligence sharing and weapons support [10]. Zelenskiy said he would discuss Ukraine's needs for the rest of this year and for 2027 [18].
On funding, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten said: "I am unhappy with the number of countries that have been willing to pledge new financial support to Ukraine. But we will see several countries pledging more military support soon" [8]. Finance Minister Sergii Marchenko said next year's unfunded budget gap is $32.6 billion and that the figure excludes an estimated $40 billion in direct military supplies from allies [6][7]. Together the two come to $72.6 billion [19]. We think the pledges Jetten expects are the military kind that fit the $40 billion line, while the shortage he is unhappy about is financial and fits the $32.6 billion gap.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever put the same problem in terms of money already given. He said Zelenskiy "will probably look everybody straight in the eye and say, thank you for the 90 billion, but that money is going to run out because a war is a very costly thing" [9].
Trump's case rests on oil prices. "All he's doing is making the world oil price higher. Well, I think that's a disgrace," he said in an interview with Newsmax [14]. Reuters reported that Trump, facing US midterm elections in November, has blamed the strikes for energy prices that could cost him at the ballot box [20]. Putin said the attacks on Russian refineries had caused "nothing particularly significant" [13].
Reuters also reported that EU leaders are grappling with soaring energy prices since the Iran war, which exposed divisions between member states on the summit's first day [11]. In our view the Iran war is the better-documented source of European price risk, and the refinery strikes are a disputed addition to it. The report does not put a number on the strikes' price effect or describe any supply-chain disruption.
Moscow acted on the eve of Zelenskiy's appearance, before the summit had produced any pledge, and Reuters described the move as retaliation for the EU's support for Ukraine [12]. The sequence matters for timing: retaliation did not wait for a package, so it is a risk this quarter whatever the summit decides.
Zelenskiy told Reuters earlier this month that a plan with European partners would close this year's $27 billion military-spending deficit and let Ukraine order the drones it needs at the start of 2027 [5]. Russian strikes on the Volyn region, which borders Poland, have already left 370,000 people without power, and emergency power cuts were introduced in Kyiv [17].
What to watch
- Whether the summit produces new financial pledges, given Jetten's stated unhappiness with the number so far, and how any pledges split between cash and military supplies.
- Whether Moscow extends temporary management beyond the French, German, Swedish and Dutch companies already named after any EU package.
- Whether Washington follows through on easing sanctions on shadow fleet vessels, which a US official said is under consideration.
Clarity's read
What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.
Reality
- Evidence58
- Adoption
- Not scored
- Hype gap+10
- Incentives55
- Confidence55
Claim ledger
Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.
- [1]
Trump called Ukraine's strikes on Russian refineries a 'disgrace', as the EU prepared to rally around Zelenskiy at a Brussels summit.
- [2]
Trump blindsided Zelenskiy last weekend by announcing that Ukraine and Russia had agreed not to target each other's energy facilities.
- [3]
Ukraine struck a Russian oil refinery after Zelenskiy declared that Kyiv was abandoning the energy ceasefire Trump had announced.
- [4]
The EU is hosting Zelenskiy in Brussels at a summit.
- [5]
Zelenskiy told Reuters earlier this month that Ukraine had agreed a plan with European partners that would allow it to close a $27 billion deficit in its military spending for this year, letting it order the drones needed to continue fighting at the start of 2027.
- [6]
Finance Minister Sergii Marchenko said Ukraine still faced an unfunded budget gap for next year of $32.6 billion.
- [7]
Marchenko said the $32.6 billion gap does not include an estimated $40 billion in direct military supplies from allies.
- [8]
Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten said: "I am unhappy with the number of countries that have been willing to pledge new financial support to Ukraine. But we will see several countries pledging more military support soon."
- [9]
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said Zelenskiy "will probably look everybody straight in the eye and say, thank you for the 90 billion, but that money is going to run out because a war is a very costly thing."
- [10]
Reuters reported fears that the US could pull back intelligence sharing and weapons support from Kyiv.
- [11]
Reuters reported that EU leaders are grappling with soaring energy prices since the Iran war, which exposed divisions between member states on day one of the summit on Thursday.
- [12]
On the eve of Zelenskiy's appearance at the summit, Russia moved to place local assets of French, German, Swedish and Dutch companies under temporary management, in retaliation for the EU's support for Ukraine.
- [13]
Putin played down the effect of Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries, saying they had caused "nothing particularly significant".
- [14]
Trump said in an interview with Newsmax: "All he's doing is making the world oil price higher. Well, I think that's a disgrace."
- [15]
A US official said on Wednesday that the Trump administration is considering easing sanctions on shadow fleet vessels that have transported oil and petroleum products from countries including Russia.
- [16]
Zelenskiy said as he arrived at the summit: "The winter package is not only energy, it's also air defence and funding."
- [17]
Russian strikes on the Volyn region, which borders Poland, left 370,000 people without power, and emergency power cuts were introduced in Kyiv during Russian strikes, according to energy provider DTEK.
- [18]
Zelenskiy said he would discuss Ukraine's needs for the rest of this year and for 2027.
- [19]
The unfunded 2027 budget gap and the estimated direct military supplies that sit outside it total $72.6 billion.
- [20]
Reuters reported that Trump, facing US midterm elections in November, has blamed Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries for pushing up energy prices that could cost him at the ballot box.
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Sources
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Topics
- Energy pricesFollow
- Russia-Ukraine WarFollow
- SanctionsFollow
- Ukraine financingFollow
Entities
- Volodymyr ZelenskiyFollow
- Donald TrumpFollow
- DTEKFollow
- ReutersFollow
- Vladimir PutinFollow
- Sergii MarchenkoFollow
- European UnionFollow