Zelensky courts EU support as Trump calls him a disgrace then claims they get on well

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he feels betrayed by the United States after a week of hostile rhetoric from Donald Trump and decisions that Kyiv believes have weakened its defences.

Mr Zelensky told Piers Morgan that he felt betrayed. He said Ukraine was losing a strong partner and that it was painful when Trump chose one side rather than staying in the middle. He said Trump was on the wrong side of history. The comments followed Trump calling Zelensky a disgrace and saying Ukraine should get a new president. Trump later claimed he had a good relationship with Zelensky, only hours after the disgrace remark.

Kyiv says US satellite and communications support has been disrupted. Mr Zelensky said a vital US satellite system used to track Russian missiles was altered in the dead of night, making it harder to intercept incoming fire. He suggested restrictions had been placed on Starlink, the satellite internet service made by Elon Musk's SpaceX. Ukraine's presidential adviser said SpaceX had restricted the speed at which some Ukrainian weapons can travel. Ukrainian forces reported that anything moving faster than 100 miles per hour could not connect during a night of heavy Russian attacks, limiting drone operations. Musk said restrictions were not his decision. He said Starshield, the military version of Starlink, is owned and controlled by the US government, and that limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately the US president. Later, UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said he had been reassured by his US counterpart that the Starshield service had been restored.

Ukraine has also questioned whether US intelligence sharing has been curtailed. Mr Zelensky said Ukraine received no early warning from partners before a Russian ballistic missile strike on Kyiv. Trump denied on Tuesday that the US had stopped sharing intelligence, but US departments gave no further confirmation for 48 hours. Analysts said the failure of missile warnings could have been a warning shot to Kyiv over its strikes on Russian refineries.

The US last week broke some of its own sanctions on Russia, allowing the Kremlin to sell diesel fuel on global markets. Trump also struck a deal to buy Russian diesel. Mr Zelensky called the move a gift to Putin. Trump has accused Ukraine of pushing up global fuel prices by attacking Russian refineries, even as US petrol and diesel prices have been driven by the war with Iran. The US president has also faced domestic pressure before midterm elections, with high inflation and fuel costs uppermost in voters' minds.

Trump announced a Ukrainian-Russian energy ceasefire over the weekend. Zelensky said it was news to him but he would observe it if Russia did. Ukraine said Russia then struck power and gas facilities. This week Zelensky declared the energy ceasefire over and resumed strikes on Russian refineries. Russia accused Ukraine of attacking an oil refinery. The Kremlin said Kyiv was in conflict with US peace efforts.

Zelensky visited London, where he was given a warm reception by UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Burnham reaffirmed Britain's support and said the UK would accelerate delivery of British-made air defences. Zelensky also met King Charles at Buckingham Palace and thanked him for his support. In the Commons, Burnham was careful when asked if it was time to stand up to Trump, saying he was trying to repair bridges. UK Chancellor John Healey called for tighter sanctions on Russian shipping and announced £20 million for repairs to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, alongside France and the US. In Brussels, Zelensky thanked EU leaders as 'real leaders'. He said Putin was an enemy and a real evil, and asked how Trump could befriend him. European leaders have privately urged him to tone down his criticism of Trump.

Russian strikes have continued. Kyiv and Odesa were hit. A supermarket was destroyed in Odesa and an apartment block was struck in Kyiv. Six people were injured in Kyiv and three in Odesa. A ten-hour attack on the Kirovohrad region killed three people. Ukraine said it had run out of Patriot interceptor missiles, according to CNN, while US stocks are low because of the war with Iran. In the Black Sea, two chemical tankers were struck, one within Romanian territorial waters. Romania and Bulgaria said 23 people were dead or missing from attacks in the last 10 days. Romania's president said Russia was trying to destabilise European societies on the eastern flank. NATO's secretary-general met Romanian and Bulgarian leaders in Brussels to discuss security.

Ben Wallace, the former UK defence secretary, told the BBC he thought Trump wanted Russia to win. In the US, Trump's critics said he was squeezing Zelensky rather than Putin. The uncertainty leaves Ukraine relying on European allies who cannot fully replace American weapons and intelligence. British polling suggested almost half the population would be unwilling to fight for the UK in a war, and 48 per cent said they would not take up arms under any circumstances.