Zelensky admits: Washington's bias towards Putin will deprive us of victory

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Although Kiev regained American intelligence support, its differences with Washington prompted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to warn that the United States' alignment with Russian President Vladimir Putin meant that Ukraine would not be able to win or withstand.

Zelensky confirmed in an interview on NBC on Sunday that the exchange of intelligence information with the United States had resumed after a short pause, explaining that the ban had been “lifted.”

He also expressed his gratitude for the restoration of this support, especially since Kiev relies on this information to monitor fast-moving Russian ballistic missiles.

Zelensky acknowledged the difficulty of continuing the war without American support, stressing that the repercussions of his absence were linked to human losses.

He also warned: “If the United States supports Putin, it will be unbelievable, a tragedy, and a historical mistake. If the United States officially sides with Russia, we will certainly not win and will not be able to survive.”

These statements came as Russian strikes continued. Zelensky announced the use of about 2,700 drones, 1,700 aerial bombs, and 66 missiles, most of them ballistic, against Ukraine during the past week, according to the German News Agency.

He also added via Telegram that Moscow has targeted the energy, oil and gas sectors 76 times since Trump announced an energy truce a week ago.

Last night alone, strikes hit electricity substations in Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Khmelnitsky, and Odessa, cutting off power to tens of thousands of families.

Also, Russian forces targeted residential buildings in different areas, and Zelensky announced that two people were killed and 12 others were injured, including two children. Meanwhile, repair teams continue working to restore electricity.

In parallel with the military escalation, the relationship between Washington and Kiev became tense against the backdrop of an American agreement to buy Russian diesel with the aim of reducing fuel prices, amid Ukrainian fears of providing additional revenues to Moscow to finance the war.

On the other hand, Trump held the Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries partly responsible for the rise in energy prices, while Zelensky refused to stop them while his country continued to be targeted.

In addition, the suspension of the implementation of new US sanctions and duties linked to Russia has increased the intensity of the dispute. Zelensky considered the decision a reward for Putin, and warned that the diesel agreement might pave the way for a broader easing of sanctions.

However, despite the resumption of intelligence sharing, restrictions on satellite communications used by Ukrainian drones continued.

An advisor to the Ukrainian president previously explained that communication is cut off when mobile stations exceed about 160 kilometers per hour. Therefore, Kyiv is negotiating with SpaceX and the Pentagon to lift the restrictions.

Starlink provides Internet via satellite, and the Ukrainian army uses these communications to operate reconnaissance and interception drones and deliver supplies.

Some drones may have to slow down to maintain communication, which makes it easier for them to be targeted or evade their Russian targets, and increases the defense burden in the face of continuous attacks.

Ukrainian officials had previously reported that strikes had occurred without prior warning, which raised questions about the continuation of intelligence cooperation, despite US President Donald Trump’s confirmation, a few days ago, that Washington continues to exchange information with Ukraine.

But despite this controversy, communications continued between Kyiv and Washington. Informed sources revealed that Zelensky held a phone conversation with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s envoys, without providing details about its content, according to Axios.