The key facts
- Kurt Volker urged Ukraine to continue strikes on Russia, ignoring Trump's position
- He linked Trump's stance to concern about the midterm congressional elections
- Earlier, Trump criticized Zelensky's strikes on Russian refineries, and Peskov said they contradict US peace initiatives
The call from the former special envoy
Former US special envoy Kurt Volker said that Ukraine should continue striking Russia, disregarding the position of US President Donald Trump. His remarks were reported by Ukrinform, with Gazeta.Ru reporting on the statement. 'Ukraine has no choice. It must do what is necessary to wage the war, defend itself, and carry the war onto Russian territory in order to try to end it. There is really no other option,' the publication quoted Volker as saying.
Assessment of Trump's motives
In Volker's view, Trump is focused exclusively on the midterm congressional elections, where things are not going particularly well for him. The former envoy believes the American leader is 'grasping at various political solutions and ideas' in the hope of creating the impression that he is solving problems. This is Volker's own assessment, not an established fact.
Context: disputes over strikes on oil refineries
The statement came against the backdrop of a position previously voiced by Trump: he claimed that Volodymyr Zelensky's strikes on Russian oil refineries are seriously harming global diesel fuel markets, including that of the United States. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, for his part, said that by attacking Russian refineries, Kyiv is acting contrary to US peace initiatives. Thus, Volker's position directly diverges from the line voiced by both Trump and the Kremlin.
