Trump administration avoids condemning strikes on American business

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has not publicly condemned Russian strikes on American companies' facilities in Ukraine. In recent months, missiles and drones have damaged facilities of Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, McDonald's, and producers of Oreo-branded products. At the same time, Washington is increasing pressure on Kyiv, demanding that it stop attacks on Russian refineries.

This was reported on October 14 by CNN, citing representatives of American business, former U.S. State Department officials, and sources familiar with the White House's position.

The President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine, Andy Hunder, stated that Russian attacks on American corporate facilities have noticeably intensified. According to him, in recent months the situation has become unprecedented in terms of the scale of damage.

"These are direct hits by drones and missiles, and the strikes continue. It seems that they are deliberately targeting American business. But we see no reaction from the White House," — Hunder said.

He emphasized that this is not just about damage to production facilities on Ukrainian territory, but also about direct losses for American investors.

"These are American interests, American money, and American investors that are being hit. We must stop this," — stated the chamber's president.

According to Hunder, Russia had previously also tried to hinder the operations of successful American companies in Ukraine, but the current intensity of attacks differs significantly from previous periods.

One of the most notable incidents was the strike on the Coca-Cola plant in the Kyiv region on September 3. A Russian drone hit the company's production facility. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy then called the incident a direct signal from Moscow to Washington.

"The Russians cannot but know that this is an American company," — stated the Ukrainian president, commenting on the attack.

Another major incident occurred on September 25. Russian drones attacked the warehouse of a McDonald's logistics partner in the Kyiv region. The company confirmed damage to the facility, which was used for food storage and distribution.

The consequences of the strike directly affected the chain's restaurant operations. McDonald's temporarily reduced its menu in all outlets in Ukraine due to supply disruptions.

The company recommended that customers check dish availability via the mobile app, delivery services, or directly at restaurants.

Earlier, on August 29, a Russian attack damaged a PepsiCo production facility in the Mykolaiv region. The company officially confirmed the damage and reported that none of its employees were injured.

PepsiCo stated the need to assess the scale of the damage and take measures to restore product supplies to Ukrainian consumers.

The American Chamber of Commerce notes that not all affected companies are willing to publicly discuss Russian attacks. Some businesses prefer not to disclose information about repeated damage to their facilities.

A former high-ranking U.S. State Department official confirmed to CNN that among American companies there is no unified position regarding public coverage of such incidents.

Meanwhile, several Democratic members of Congress have already called on the Trump administration to more actively protect the interests of American business in Ukraine and publicly condemn Russia's actions.

The American Chamber of Commerce also tried to draw the attention of Trump's inner circle. According to Hunder, in September the organization sent a request for a meeting with U.S. Presidential Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Business representatives intended to brief them on the situation of American companies in Ukraine, including the consequences of the recent Russian attacks.

However, the chamber never received a response to its request.

A CNN source who previously held a leadership position in the State Department explained the difficulties by saying that many American officials consider the issues of Ukrainian settlement to be the exclusive responsibility of Witkoff and Kushner. This makes it harder to draw the attention of other administration representatives to business problems.

In response to CNN's request, a White House spokesman said that Trump is seeking a complete end to the war between Russia and Ukraine.

According to the official, the U.S. president and his team continue to work on a peace agreement and remain optimistic about the possibility of agreeing to a cessation of hostilities.

However, the comment provided to journalists did not contain a separate condemnation of Russian attacks on American businesses.

At the same time, the Trump administration takes a significantly harsher public stance regarding Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure.

In recent weeks, the American president has repeatedly linked the rise in fuel prices in the U.S. to Ukraine's attacks on Russian diesel fuel production facilities. CNN notes that U.S. prices are also significantly affected by the U.S. war with Iran.

On October 9, Trump announced an agreement providing for the purchase of Russian diesel fuel and the easing of relevant sanctions restrictions.

In addition, according to sources from the channel, Washington threatened to limit the transfer of intelligence data and ammunition to Ukraine if Kyiv continues strikes on Russian refineries.

Hunder called the administration's stance puzzling, given the White House's statements about the need to protect the interests of American companies.

He emphasized that businesses have the right to expect support from their own government, especially when their production facilities and investments suffer from the actions of another state's armed forces.

In August 2025, Trump had already commented on a Russian strike on an American electronics industry enterprise in Ukraine. At that time, the U.S. president said he expressed dissatisfaction to Vladimir Putin about what happened.

However, after the latest attacks on Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and McDonald's, no similar public reaction from the American administration followed.

Ukrainian authorities, for their part, use the damage to international corporations' facilities as an additional argument for strengthening air defense and further military support from partners.

Based on materials from: CNN, Ukrinform, RBC-Ukraine