Trump Calls Zelensky 'Not a Good Guy' and Harder to Deal With Than Putin

US President Donald Trump criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as "not a good guy for us to deal with," accusing him of being unwilling to negotiate an end to Russia's war and saying he finds Zelensky more difficult to deal with than Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump made the remarks Thursday in a Newsmax interview, questioning Zelensky's commitment to peace and blaming past US administrations for the conflict. He also cited personal hatred between Zelensky and Putin as a barrier to settlement, amid tensions over Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries and threats to US military support. Zelensky announced the same day that Ukraine had lifted restrictions on striking Russian refineries, citing continued Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. He also expressed concern over reported US intelligence-sharing withdrawals, widening the gap between Washington's calls for restraint and Kyiv's insistence on responding to Russian strikes.