Ukraine will resume strikes on Russian oil refineries, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said, while accusing the United States of withdrawing crucial support. Zelensky said he had held back such attacks for three days at Washington’s request, even as Russia kept hitting Ukrainian energy infrastructure. “We’re done,” he told a newspaper in an interview.
Zelensky also said the US had withdrawn intelligence-sharing on Russian strikes in an effort to pressure Kyiv into ending its attacks altogether. He linked this to a Ukrainian deal to import Russian diesel. He further said limits placed on Starlink satellite services, which Ukraine’s military uses, were deliberate.
Refinery attack reported near Moscow and Ryazan
The Kremlin said Ukraine had attempted a large-scale attack on an oil refinery south of Moscow early on Thursday. Russia’s defence ministry said four missiles and dozens of drones had been intercepted. It said falling debris had caused a fire at the site in Ryazan.
Zelensky said dozens of Ukrainian cities had come under Russian attack over the previous day. Strikes had left hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians without power, he said. His remarks reflected a broader pattern of attacks on energy facilities by both sides.
Zelensky had previously said he would agree to the so-called “energy ceasefire” announced by US President Donald Trump on Sunday, provided Moscow also abided by it. He accused Russia of ignoring the proposed deal within hours of its announcement. The Kremlin has never said it agreed to the arrangement.
Starlink restrictions and intelligence-sharing dispute
Ukraine’s military relies on US early-warning alerts about incoming Russian aerial attacks so it can prepare air defences. Starlink internet links are also used across its war effort to guide drones and protect its skies. Zelensky said Ukrainian officials had been told by their US counterparts that “if you will not stop [the strikes], we will block intelligence.”
On Tuesday, an unexpected restriction was placed on the speed at which drones could fly while still maintaining a Starlink connection. Some suggested a technical glitch was to blame. Starlink’s owner, Elon Musk, appeared to deny this and suggested the Trump administration was responsible. Trump denied halting intelligence-sharing.
Zelensky rejected the glitch explanation. “It was not a technical problem, it was the will,” he told the newspaper. Sources in Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence said early on Thursday that the “operation while on the move” function of Starshield, the military-focused version of Starlink, had been restored. They said officials were still working to clarify “the reasons and circumstances behind yesterday’s restrictions.”
Ukrainian officials have said they were not warned before the speed limit was imposed. Musk wrote on Wednesday that the systems were owned and controlled by the US government. He said “any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately [Trump].”
Patriot missile demands and a diesel deal criticised
Zelensky said he would halt strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, which Kyiv says cuts off revenue to Russia’s war effort, only if the US supplied more Patriot air defence missiles. Ukraine has faced a shortage of the US-made systems since the Iran war consumed stockpiles. Zelensky’s comments came during a visit to London, where he met Prime Minister Andy Burnham and the UK announced faster delivery of lightweight multirole missiles to Kyiv.
In the same interview, Zelensky took a more defiant tone than he had recently. He said Trump had an affinity for autocratic leaders, including Russia’s Vladimir Putin. Asked in a Wednesday night interview whether he felt betrayed by the US, Zelensky agreed. He said it was not up to him to repair US-Ukrainian relations given the events of the past week. “We didn’t destroy any relationship,” he said.
Tensions between the two leaders have built up over time. After Trump returned to the White House last year, the pair held a heated Oval Office meeting in which Trump implied Zelensky was the main obstacle to a peace deal. Zelensky has since taken a careful diplomatic line, showing willingness towards US-brokered deals while insisting that the terms of any peace must be just.
He criticised a deal between Russia and the US, struck last week, to release 300,000 tonnes of diesel to the US and global market. He described the arrangement as the US effectively investing in Russia’s war effort. The deal was the latest effort by Trump to lower fuel prices ahead of the midterm elections, after months of dealing with the political fallout of the Iran war. That conflict has pushed up the cost of petrol and especially diesel, damaging his standing with the American public.
Zelensky said the next deal could involve gas. “The question will be: when will the next deal be? Maybe it will be gas. Definitely it will be gas,” he told the newspaper. With Russia continuing its strikes, he suggested the disruption to US support was no coincidence. European leaders have rallied around Zelensky, and the matter is expected to dominate their summit in Brussels later on Thursday. The Trump administration has not commented on the issue, and comment has been sought from the White House and the Department of Defense.
