Zelensky rallies European allies as US support for Ukraine wanes

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky sought Thursday to rally European allies after saying Kyiv would no longer abide by US President Donald Trump's demands not to strike Russian oil refineries. Relations between Kyiv and Washington have soured since last week, when Trump eased sanctions on Russia in exchange for Moscow releasing large amounts of diesel onto global markets. Anger in Ukraine has been further heightened by outages to a critical US-provided satellite system that has hampered its military's ability to counter Russia's intense bombardments. Against the backdrop of his latest falling-out with Trump, Zelensky met NATO chief Mark Rutte in Brussels and held a string of bilateral meetings with European leaders before he was set to join an EU summit on Friday. "All of us in Europe want this war to end. And for that to happen, strong signals are needed – more real pressure on Russia and more defence support for Ukraine," Zelensky wrote online. "It is especially important now to act together to protect lives." Read moreWill Trump really pull the plug? Starlink restored but Ukraine's fate still uncertain European leaders have broadly thrown their support behind Zelensky, as th...