Zelenskiy says Ukraine will restart attacks on Russian refineries
Zelenskiy told the Financial Times that Ukraine would resume refinery strikes and would require more US-made Patriot interceptors to consider another halt.
Kyiv, Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine would restart attacks against Russian refineries, according to a Financial Times interview published on Thursday. He said any agreement to suspend energy strikes to repair relations with the White House would require additional US-made Patriot interceptors in return.
Conditions for another pause
Zelenskiy told the newspaper that the restriction on refinery attacks no longer applied. Asked whether stopping energy strikes could help restore relations with Washington, he described additional Patriot interceptors as the least he could accept in exchange.
The Financial Times reported that he criticised Washington’s willingness to pursue commercial agreements with Moscow and what he viewed as US President Donald Trump’s apparent admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Fuel agreement and ceasefire announcement
On Saturday, Trump urged Ukraine to replace Zelenskiy and condemned Ukrainian attacks against Russia’s oil infrastructure. His remarks came a day after he announced an agreement with Russia for diesel supplies, intended to relieve pressure on fuel prices. Those prices have surged since the US-Israeli war against Iran started in February.
In a post on X earlier this week, Zelenskiy said Ukraine had suspended attacks against Russia’s refineries and other energy facilities for two days after Trump announced an energy ceasefire.
Intelligence and communications disruption
Zelenskiy told the Financial Times that, despite the Ukrainian pause, his forces had received no US early-warning alerts about approaching ballistic missiles. He also said Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite communications service had slowed throughout Ukraine, disrupting frontline operations and medium-range attacks against Russian military facilities.
According to Zelenskiy, US military counterparts warned Ukrainian officials that intelligence would be blocked unless the energy strikes stopped. He said the disruption was subsequently described to Kyiv as a technical glitch.
Zelenskiy rejected the suggestion that a fault could explain the Starlink failures, telling the newspaper that the disruption reflected a deliberate decision rather than a technical problem.
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