Trump Praises Putin, Criticizes Zelensky in Ukraine Interview
President Donald Trump praised Vladimir Putin while criticizing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a Thursday interview, saying he finds Zelensky more difficult to deal with than Putin. Trump also claimed Zelensky "destroyed" Ukraine. The comments came as reports confirmed White House-ordered limits on Ukraine's access to SpaceX's Starshield satellite communications, a key military tool. Ukrainian officials said this disrupted early-warning systems for missile attacks, though the White House denied threatening to cut off intelligence. Relations between Washington and Kyiv have deteriorated since Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Zelensky in February. Ukraine agreed to a Trump-announced energy ceasefire but reversed course after Russian violations, with Zelensky accusing Trump of capitulating to Putin out of admiration.