Zelenskyy vows to resume attacks on Russian oil refineries:Rejects Trump’s appeal, condemns US decision to buy Russian diesel

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced plans to resume attacks on Russian oil refineries, rejecting US President Donald Trump’s appeal to halt strikes on energy facilities. Zelenskyy criticised Washington’s decision to purchase diesel from Russia, saying the trade would provide Moscow with funds to continue its war against Ukraine. In an interview with the Financial Times on Thursday, Zelenskyy said, “Enough is enough.” However, he did not specify when Ukraine would resume attacks on Russian refineries. Ukraine says it had complied with Trump’s appeal On Sunday, Trump urged Russia and Ukraine to stop attacking energy infrastructure. Ukraine subsequently halted strikes on Russian oil refineries, but Kyiv has accused Moscow of continuing attacks on its power plants and other electricity infrastructure. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, meanwhile, claimed that Ukraine had never stopped attacking Russian refineries. Kyiv maintains that it complied with the US president’s appeal. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had earlier described Ukrainian attacks on Russia’s oil facilities as a direct challenge to Trump. Zelenskyy criticises US decision to buy Russian diesel Trump said last week that the US would reach an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to purchase millions of tonnes of diesel in the coming months. The US Treasury subsequently lifted restrictions on Russian diesel exports. The sanctions had been imposed in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to limit Moscow’s revenue for financing the war. Criticising the move, Zelenskyy said it was wrong for the US to conduct energy trade with Russia while Ukrainians were losing their lives defending their country. He argued that revenue from oil and diesel sales would help Moscow sustain its military campaign. Zelenskyy also expressed concern over growing energy trade between Washington and Moscow, saying Ukrainians were continuing to fight and suffer casualties to protect their country. Zelenskyy alleges US pressure to halt strikes Zelenskyy said Ukraine had not received intelligence about Russian ballistic missile strikes in recent days that it had previously been receiving. He alleged that US military officials had pressured Kyiv to stop attacking Russian energy facilities. Russian attacks on Kyiv left around 600,000 people without electricity, according to the report. Zelenskyy said Russia had fired dozens of ballistic missiles, damaging Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. The developments came amid reports of restrictions on the military use of the US satellite communication system Starlink, which Ukrainian forces rely on to maintain battlefield communications. Ukraine’s Defence Ministry officials said on Thursday that they were investigating whether Starshield connectivity had been restored for mobile equipment. Starshield is a military-focused satellite communication system whose costs are covered by the US Department of Defence. US officials, however, denied that intelligence sharing with Ukraine had been reduced and rejected claims that Washington had threatened to suspend such assistance. Zelenskyy says Ukraine is losing a strong US partner In an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan, Zelenskyy said he felt betrayed by Trump’s decisions. He said Ukraine had relied on the US president and Washington to help protect the country, but recent decisions did not reflect the partnership between the two nations. “We are losing a strong partner like the US,” Zelenskyy said. He also questioned Trump’s dealings with Putin and his praise for authoritarian leaders. Referring to the Russian president, Zelenskyy said, “How can Trump be friends with him? I think it is a mistake,” describing Putin as “real evil”. European leaders back attacks on Russian refineries Several European leaders in Brussels expressed support for Zelenskyy’s decision to resume attacks on Russian oil refineries. Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said it would be better to damage Russia’s refineries and its ability to sell energy as soon as possible, arguing that Moscow uses oil revenue to finance the war. Netherlands Prime Minister Rob Jetten criticised the proposed US-Russia diesel deal, saying it was unlikely to bring down global prices but would provide Putin with additional funds for the war. He described Trump’s decision as wrong. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev, however, said he did not support attacks on any oil refinery. Fire reported at Russian refinery after drone attack Ukrainian drones attacked an oil refinery in Russia’s Ryazan region early Thursday, triggering a fire, according to Russian authorities. The region lies around 300 kilometres southeast of Moscow. Ryazan Governor Pavel Malkov and Russia’s Defence Ministry reported the fire following the attack. A senior Ukrainian official also confirmed that Ukraine had targeted the refinery. The full extent of the damage was not immediately clear. The attack took place hours after Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine intended to resume strikes on Russian oil refineries.