Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that Ukraine is ending a brief pause on attacks against Russian oil refineries and will resume the strikes, despite warnings from U.S. President Donald Trump.
“The block [on attacking refineries] is out. We’re done,” Zelensky told the Financial Times in an interview published Thursday.
Ukraine had refrained from striking Russian energy facilities for three days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced what he called an “energy ceasefire,” Zelensky said. During that period, Russian forces continued attacking Ukrainian energy infrastructure and civilian areas. Zelensky said more than 100 civilians were killed in Russian strikes over the past week.
Trump had pressed Ukraine to halt the refinery attacks, which he linked to rising diesel and fuel prices. He also moved to ease restrictions on Russian diesel imports. Moscow never confirmed it had agreed to any reciprocal pause on energy strikes.
Ukraine has for months used long-range drones to target Russian refineries in an effort to reduce revenue and fuel supplies supporting Moscow’s war effort. Western and Ukrainian assessments have reported significant damage to Russia’s refining capacity.
Zelensky also told the Financial Times that Ukrainian forces received no U.S. early-warning alerts for incoming ballistic missiles during the pause. He said Starlink satellite communications were restricted or slowed, affecting military operations. He rejected claims that the Starlink issues were technical, saying it was “a matter of will.” Ukrainian officials were warned that continued energy strikes could lead to a cutoff of U.S. intelligence sharing, he said.
Zelensky indicated Ukraine could consider further restraint only if the United States supplies additional Patriot interceptor missiles, which he described as the minimum requirement.
On Thursday, Russian authorities reported a large Ukrainian drone attack on the Ryazan region that caused a fire at a Rosneft-owned oil refinery. The plant accounts for roughly 5 percent of Russia’s refining capacity. Ryazan Gov. Pavel Malkov said emergency crews were assessing damage. No civilian casualties were reported. Russian officials said air defenses intercepted numerous drones.
The developments underscore continued friction between Kyiv and Washington over energy attacks, with reports already claiming that Trump was considering cutting off intelligence to Ukraine entirely.
