Trump ignores Russian strikes on US businesses in Ukraine – CNN
Despite Russia escalating attacks on facilities in Ukraine connected to American corporations, Trump and his administration are not reacting to this in any way.
Source: CNN
Details: The US president and his administration have stepped up pressure on Ukraine to force it to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries, claiming it harms American consumers.
However, CNN notes that both Donald Trump and administration officials remain silent regarding Russian strikes on American businesses in Ukraine.
The publication emphasises that over the past few months, Russia has intensified its attacks on facilities connected to American corporations and on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine as a whole.
Andy Hunder, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine, said that Russian missiles and drones have damaged facilities belonging to some of the most famous American brands, including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, McDonald's and Oreo.
Hunder notes that although Russia has also tried to interfere with the work of successful American businesses in the past, the direct strikes with drones and missiles, as well as the fact that the Russians continue hitting American businesses in Ukraine, are things that have never happened before.
Quote from Hunder: "It's sending a message that they're targeting American business. We're not seeing any response from the White House. We need this to stop because these are American interests, American money, American investors that are being hit and are being targeted."
Details: CNN recalls that when a Russian drone hit a Coca-Cola plant near Kyiv in early September, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack was a "clear signal" for the US.
"The Russians cannot possibly be unaware that this is an American enterprise," Zelenskyy added at the time.
Later that month, a Russian strike drone hit a warehouse belonging to McDonald's. McDonald's Ukraine confirmed in a statement that a warehouse operated by one of its logistics partners in Kyiv Oblast was damaged as a result of a drone attack on 25 September.
PepsiCo acknowledged in a statement at the end of August that a production facility in Mykolaiv Oblast was damaged, but there were no casualties.
Among American businesses on the ground, there is no unity on how much they want to speak publicly about being hit "or disclose the fact that they've been targeted multiple times", a former senior State Department official told CNN.
"Some businesses do want us to raise this," Hunder reiterated, but others "are treading very carefully".
CNN notes that several Democratic US lawmakers have publicly called on the White House to do more to protect American businesses in Ukraine and condemn Moscow's actions.
Ukraine emphasised that these attacks are one of the reasons to strengthen defence support so that they can sufficiently protect American companies on the ground.
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry meets with members of Congress from both parties and asks them to raise this issue before the White House.
Trump spoke publicly when asked in August 2025 about a Russian strike on an American electronics plant, saying he told Russian leader Vladimir Putin that he was "not happy about it".
Quote from CNN: "Still, the relative lack of condemnation on the strikes from the Trump administration stands in contrast to the admonishments to the Ukrainian government about striking Russian energy infrastructure."
Details: In February, the US administration warned Kyiv that its strikes on Russian oil facilities in the Black Sea late last year affected US investments in Kazakhstan.
And in recent weeks, Trump has blamed Ukraine for strikes on Russian fuel facilities and for rising fuel prices.
Hunder told CNN he found it difficult to understand the administration's silence on the issue.
Quote from Hunder: "Any company, any business, wants to have some sort of protection. You would expect your government to stand up in your corner and fight the fight with you, especially if it's a foreign military that is attacking the American companies."
Details: The American Chamber of Commerce sent a message requesting a meeting with representatives of the US president, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, last month to inform them about the state of American business in Ukraine but received no reply.
Background:
- Philip Morris Ukraine reported that part of its factory in Kharkiv was damaged by a Russian missile strike on the night of 29-30 January.
- On 25 September, Russian drones damaged one of the warehouses that, among other things, supported the operation of the McDonald's restaurant chain in Kyiv Oblast.
- The New York Times wrote that Russia had intensified strikes on facilities belonging to US companies in Ukraine in an attempt to undermine its economy.
- Assets belonging to Cargill, Coca-Cola, Boeing, Mondelez, Philip Morris, Flex and Bunge came under attack. Since the beginning of 2026, the attacks have only intensified and within four weeks, facilities of Bunge, Philip Morris and Mondelez were struck.
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