Fox News host Brian Kilmeade launched a fierce criticism of President Donald Trump’s decision to purchase Russian diesel, warning that cooperation with Vladimir Putin could become the biggest mistake of Trump’s presidency.
The extraordinary clash unfolded live on Fox & Friends Weekend on Sunday, when Kilmeade, 62, challenged co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy over Trump’s increasingly tense relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Kilmeade blamed Putin for the bloodshed in Ukraine, strongly defended Kyiv’s military efforts and argued that American money sent to Russia would benefit the country responsible for launching the war.
“They’re the bad guys,” Kilmeade declared during the heated exchange.
He went on to compare the Russian president with Adolf Hitler, warning that closer ties between Washington and Moscow could carry devastating consequences.
“It would be the biggest mistake of his administration to work with Russia,” Kilmeade said. “That’s the modern Hitler of our generation.”
The remarkable on-air dispute followed Trump’s temporary easing of US sanctions on Russian diesel. The decision sparked international criticism and accusations that the administration was helping finance Moscow’s war effort.
The move came as pressure mounted on global energy supplies and fuel prices surged amid the conflict involving Iran, creating a political challenge for Republicans ahead of next month’s midterm elections.
Rachel Campos-Duffy and Brian Kilmeade, right, became embroiled in a heated on-air clash over Donald Trump’s decision to buy Russian diesel, with Kilmeade defending Ukraine and holding Vladimir Putin responsible for the war
Fox News host Brian Kilmeade, 62, delivered a forceful attack on Trump’s willingness to work with Russia, warning that the decision could become the biggest mistake of his presidency
Trump later suggested that Ukraine might need a new president after Zelensky criticized the arrangement involving Russian fuel.
Kilmeade, however, rejected that argument outright.
“The president got ticked off because Zelensky came out and said, ‘Do not buy five hundred million tons of diesel,’” he said.
Kilmeade said Zelensky was justified in being angry at the prospect of more American money flowing into Russia while Ukrainian troops continued to fight Moscow’s invasion.
“There’s one person who’s responsible; Vladimir Putin. That is it,” he insisted. “And he’s getting his ass kicked.”
Campos-Duffy disputed that view, arguing that Zelensky had repeatedly complicated attempts to end the war by continuing Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries despite Trump’s objections.
She maintained that the attacks were deepening fuel shortages and creating additional political difficulties for the administration.
Kilmeade dismissed the suggestion that Ukraine was chiefly responsible for the diplomatic impasse.
Donald Trump appeared on Fox News with Brian Kilmeade in June 2020
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned Trump’s decision to ease restrictions on Russian diesel as a “weak decision,” warning that the arrangement would benefit Moscow
Donald Trump announced an immediate ‘ENERGY CEASEFIRE’ between Russia and Ukraine on Sunday, claiming both countries had agreed to halt attacks, although Kyiv appeared surprised and Moscow had yet to confirm the arrangement
‘There’s no plausible, practical peace effort that Vladimir Putin would participate in effectively that would end this war,’ he said.
The discussion grew increasingly tense when Campos-Duffy questioned whether her colleague was putting Ukrainian interests ahead of America’s.
‘Are you for America or Ukraine?’ she demanded.
Kilmeade responded by pointing to the wider Middle East conflict, arguing that disruptions to fuel supplies had been driven by Iranian attacks on energy infrastructure in Gulf states.
He also praised Ukraine’s technological advances in using drones to strike Russian energy facilities, describing the country’s battlefield innovations as extraordinary.
‘The Ukrainians have modernized modern war before our very eyes,’ he said.
Campos-Duffy countered by highlighting the enormous human cost of the fighting, arguing that young soldiers were dying in staggering numbers.
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When she insisted Trump wanted peace in Ukraine, Kilmeade fired back: ‘Tell Vladimir Putin!’
An employee strolls across a deserted gas station in Moscow belonging to the state-owned company Rosneft, where the only fuel available for sale is diesel
Ukrainian drone strikes against Moscow’s energy infrastructure have become a source of tension between Trump and Zelensky, with Trump urging Ukraine to stop targeting the facilities
A car burns following a Russian strike on a residential neighbourhood in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Sunday
Campos-Duffy then suggested Trump’s willingness to cooperate with Moscow might finally force a breakthrough because Zelensky had become too arrogant.
That prompted Kilmeade to fire back once again.
‘He is the cause of all the problems in the region,’ Kilmeade said of Putin, accusing Russia of helping Iran threaten American troops and military installations.
Earlier on Sunday, Trump unexpectedly announced what he called an immediate energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
‘Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine,’ the president declared on Truth Social.
‘Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!’
But the announcement immediately raised questions about whether any genuine agreement had been reached.
President Donald Trump has faced fierce criticism over his decision to ease restrictions on Russian diesel as his administration battles soaring fuel prices
Russian President Vladimir Putin was compared to Adolf Hitler by Fox News host Brian Kilmeade, who declared: ‘That’s the modern Hitler of our generation.’
Zelensky appeared surprised by the declaration and said he was seeking further information, although he emphasized that Ukraine supported a halt to attacks on energy infrastructure.
Russia had not publicly confirmed its participation.
Meanwhile, Zelensky reported that Russian strikes had hit multiple Ukrainian power facilities on Sunday, including installations in Kyiv and Kharkiv.
‘Ukrainian skies have been infested with Russian ‘shaheds’ all day,’ he said, referring to Iranian-designed attack drones widely used by Moscow.
The reported bombardments threatened to undermine Trump’s ceasefire announcement almost immediately.
European allies, including Britain, France and Germany, expressed support for efforts to halt attacks on energy infrastructure while maintaining their backing for Ukraine.
Ukraine hit Russia’s Novoshakhtinsk oil terminal – a key export hub – hours after relations between Trump and Zelensky soured over a diesel deal for Russia to supply diesel to the US
Russia struck Kharkiv’s main power plant just hours after Trump announced an ‘energy ceasefire’
But Trump’s separate decision to ease restrictions on Russian diesel attracted fierce criticism.
Seven American senators, including four Republicans, issued a statement condemning the arrangement as illegal.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also attacked the move, saying it was ‘in direct opposition to the efforts of Ukraine, Canada and our allies to create peace and stability in Europe.’
Zelensky branded the diesel arrangement a ‘weak decision’ and rejected Trump’s suggestion that Ukraine needed a change of leadership.
‘It’s up to our society, up to our people to choose one or another leader,’ he told ABC News.
The Ukrainian president argued that the real source of rising energy prices was the Middle East war and disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.