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Zelensky lobbies senators to press White House on alleged intel and weapons curbs
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged a bipartisan group of senators to pressure the Trump administration regarding alleged restrictions on intelligence sharing and weapons supplies. Ukrainian officials claim these limits were imposed to force Zelensky into concessions for a peace deal with Russia. President Trump and White House officials have denied these restrictions exist.The situation escalated after Trump announced a diesel deal with Russia, with Ukrainian officials reporting threats from Trump envoys regarding intelligence and weapons if Ukraine continued targeting Russian oil refineries. U.S. officials deny such threats, stating they only asked Ukraine to avoid actions harming American consumers. Zelensky, in a virtual meeting, detailed ongoing issues with Starlink and Starshield satellite systems, impacting drone defense. He also noted a lack of early warnings for Russian ballistic missile attacks, suggesting curtailed intelligence sharing.Furthermore, Zelensky expressed concern over delays in delivering Patriot interceptors and AIM-9x missiles, even though NATO countries have funded them. He believes a political decision has been made to slow support for Ukraine. Senators Thom Tillis and Richard Blumenthal affirmed Congress's commitment to Ukraine.Meanwhile, President Trump stated that intelligence sharing continues and expressed ignorance about the Starlink throttling, vowing to investigate. He also suggested Zelensky is not helping the situation and might be unfit to negotiate. Zelensky reportedly proposed a 30-day halt on refinery strikes in exchange for Patriot interceptors, a proposal not met with openness by U.S. envoys. Zelensky is scheduled to meet with the envoys again in Oslo, with a potential follow-up meeting in Moscow for the U.S. envoys.