Ukraine has resumed strikes against Russian oil refineries as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy angrily accused the United States of a “dangerous” withdrawal of critical support for its defense against Russia.
kyiv delayed its attacks for three days after President Donald Trump unilaterally announced an energy ceasefire, but accused Russia of repeatedly violating the truce by attacking its power grid. Trump has accused the Ukraine campaign of fueling rising energy prices, despite the impact of his own war with Iran.
Ukraine has expressed growing frustration over Russia’s failure to respect the truce and what it sees as U.S. attempts to pressure kyiv into concessions after lapses in intelligence sharing about Russian attacks and restrictions on the Starlink internet service.
In an interview with the Financial Times, published Thursday, Zelensky indicated that his patience was running out.
“The blockade (on attacks on refineries) is lifted. We are done with it,” Zelensky was quoted as saying.
Hours later, a fire was reported at an oil refinery in the western Ryazan region, Governor Pavel Malkov said. Russia’s Defense Ministry said Ukraine had “attempted a massive attack on the Ryazan oil refinery.”
Ukraine is reeling from Trump’s sudden shift, striking a diesel deal with Russia in an apparent bid to relieve pressure at the pump ahead of midterm elections. He then demanded that Ukraine stop attacking Russian oil facilities and called for Zelensky to be replaced as leader of the country. Trump’s “energy ceasefire” appeared to surprise both sides.
The moves have caused frustration and confusion in Ukraine and Europe, intensifying concerns about the extent to which the United States remains an ally in the fight against Russia.
That concern was heightened Wednesday when kyiv said it was facing a slowdown in Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite terminals, disrupting battlefield missions and its ability to intercept Russian drones attacking Ukrainian cities.
Ukraine was invaded by Russian drones on Wednesday and since midnight Thursday, more than 850 have filled the Ukrainian skies, Zelenskyy said. “And this comes precisely at a time when the speed of our defensive capabilities is artificially limited,” he said, referring to Starlink’s slowdown.
Musk, a staunch Trump ally, wrote on social media that decisions about restricting the use of Starshield, the military version of his company’s satellite system, were up to the U.S. military and, ultimately, Trump.
Overnight, Musk declared that it was “time for Zelensky to go.”
The move comes as questions mount over whether the United States has stopped or limited the sharing of critical military intelligence with Ukraine, after Zelensky said several ballistic strikes on kyiv were not accompanied by the usual advance warning from its partners.
Just days after Trump eased sanctions on Russian diesel exports and criticized Zelensky, European and Ukrainian officials told NBC News they believed the moves were likely aimed at pressuring kyiv to make concessions at the negotiating table amid an impasse in peace talks.
Ukraine is concerned that the chain of events amounts to an attempt to increase pressure on kyiv and renege on years of U.S. promises to help repel the Russian invasion, one of the Ukrainian officials said.
Ukraine relies heavily on U.S. intelligence and the Starshield satellite network to defend against Russian drone and missile attacks and to target Russian forces with its own drones. A reduction in intelligence assistance or access to satellites could seriously damage Ukraine’s battlefield prospects as winter approaches, military experts say.
Ukrainian military officials were told by their US counterparts that “if you don’t stop (the energy strikes), we will block intelligence”, Zelensky said, according to the FT, although this was later presented to kyiv as a technical problem.
The withdrawal of intelligence services and the simultaneous weakening of Starlink satellite internet was “dangerous” for Ukraine at a time when Russia is escalating its strikes, he told the newspaper, adding that fighting without the United States would be “very difficult.”
Zelenskyy said he felt “betrayed” by Trump’s actions, speaking to Piers Morgan in a separate interview on Wednesday.
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