Russia-Ukraine war: Volodymyr Zelensky says he feels betrayed by Donald Trump

Zelenskyj laments the loss of the USA as a partner

Zelenskyj said in an interview with Morgan that it was a shame “that we are losing a strong partner.” Ukraine cannot afford to be weak. "We are not selling our country." It's not about business, but about life and your own country. The Ukrainian president said it would be painful if Trump didn't choose their side. It's okay if the US president stands "in the middle." "But if you're in the middle, you have to stay in the middle." He doesn't know who is pushing Trump to the wrong side. "But that's not the right side of the story."

Meanwhile, Russia continued its attacks on Ukraine. On two consecutive nights, rockets hit Kyiv, among other places, before the air alarm could be raised in time. Zelensky had complained that his allies had not informed him in advance about the Russian missile attacks (more on this here).

Ukraine relies heavily on US intelligence information in its defense against Russian attacks. Washington had reportedly threatened to stop them. Trump denied this on Tuesday.

Dispute over Starlink in Ukraine

Zelenskyj also criticized entrepreneur Elon Musk's US company SpaceX on Wednesday. It restricted the use of satellites for Ukraine - and thereby weakened Ukrainian drone defense and air defense in the fight against Russia. "If the attacks continue and Starlink doesn't work, of course people will die," he said in an interview with Morgan.

Musk sees Trump as responsible

Elon Musk, in turn, blamed the US government for the alleged restriction of satellite communications in Ukraine. "Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government," he explained on X. Any limits on speed or usage would be decided by the U.S. military and ultimately the president.

Musk distinguished between the Starshield system, which Ukraine relies on for combat communications, and Starlink, which Ukraine also uses. "Starlink is limited to civilian or defensive activities and may not be used for offensive military operations as this would be inappropriate for a commercial venture," Musk explained.