Zelensky says the energy agreement with Russia is over/Photo: Getty
Ukraine’s president Zelensky says Kyiv will resume attacks on Russian oil refineries, defying a US-brokered energy truce and pressure from Washington.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signaled that Kyiv will return to targeting Russian oil refineries, a move that sets him at odds with Washington’s push for an energy truce.
Speaking to the Financial Times, Zelensky made clear that Ukraine’s pause on refinery attacks is over.
“The block (on attacking refineries) is out. We’re done,” he said.
He explained that Ukraine held off on striking Russian energy sites for three days at the request of the United States.
During that period, Russia kept up its assaults on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, and more than 100 civilians were killed over the past week.
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Zelensky added that even though Kyiv stopped its refinery strikes, American partners gave it no advance warning of incoming Russian ballistic missile attacks, and access to Starlink terminals was restricted.
He confirmed that U.S. officials had told Ukraine in plain terms that continuing the refinery attacks would lead Washington to cut off intelligence sharing.
Zelensky also rejected suggestions that the Starlink problems were accidental, saying, “It was not a technical problem, it was the will.”
When asked whether Ukraine might stop refinery strikes for good to improve ties with Washington, even if Russia kept attacking, Zelensky said he would consider it only if Ukraine received more missiles for its Patriot systems, which he described as his “minimum” requirement.
The energy truce was announced by Donald Trump on October 11, when he said Russia and Ukraine had both agreed to it.
Soon afterward, Zelensky acknowledged that Ukraine’s Armed Forces had been given matching orders, and strikes on Russian refineries were temporarily halted.
Russia’s Defense Ministry, however, continued to hit infrastructure in Kyiv.
Axios reported that Trump had been relying on Zelensky to honor the truce and stop the refinery attacks.
A White House source told the outlet, “Trump is really mad. He feels Zelensky is taking the U.S. for granted.”
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