European leaders rally behind Zelensky as US ties worsen

Summary

European leaders rallied around Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday as Kyiv-Washington ties worsened, the South China Morning Post reports. France 24 says Zelensky sought to rally European allies at a Brussels summit after saying Kyiv would no longer abide by Trump’s demand not to strike Russian oil refineries; the South China Morning Post says Ukraine’s order to restart those strikes further angered Trump. The Japan Times reports Trump scrapped Russian energy sanctions and pressured Kyiv over the refineries, while France 24 and the South China Morning Post say the sanctions easing came in exchange for Moscow releasing large amounts of diesel onto global markets. This follows earlier coverage framing a Trump-Russia diesel deal as benefiting Putin and drawing criticism over Ukraine and Europe.

Timeline

1. The Japan Times

   16 Oct 2026, 02:34 UTCSource ↗

   The Japan Times reports that Trump scrapped Russian energy sanctions, pressured Kyiv to stop bombing Russian oil refineries and suggested Zelensky was an illegitimate leader, as Europe reckons with Trump helping Putin.

2. France 24

   16 Oct 2026, 09:21 UTCSource ↗

   France 24 reports that Zelensky sought to rally European allies at a Brussels summit after saying Ukraine would no longer abide by Trump’s demand not to strike Russian oil refineries, amid worsening Kyiv-Washington ties.

3. South China Morning Post

   16 Oct 2026, 10:14 UTCSource ↗

   The South China Morning Post reports that European leaders rallied around Zelensky as Ukraine-US ties frayed, and says Kyiv’s order to restart strikes on Russian oil refineries further angered Trump.