Zelenskyy resumes Russian refinery strikes despite Trump truce
Shafaq News- Kyiv
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Thursday that Kyiv had resumed strikes on Russian oil refineries, defying a US-brokered energy truce that Ukraine says Moscow has failed to honor.
“The ban on strikes against refineries has been lifted. We’ve had enough,” Zelenskyy told the Financial Times, urging Washington not to side with Russia.
Ukraine had suspended refinery attacks after US President Donald Trump announced an energy ceasefire on Sunday, although neither Kyiv nor Moscow initially confirmed an agreement.
On Thursday, Russian authorities said a Ukrainian drone and missile attack had sparked a fire at an oil refinery in Ryazan, about 200 kilometers southeast of Moscow. Zelenskyy also said Ukrainian forces had struck a military airfield in western Russia overnight, damaging combat aircraft.
The Kremlin accused Kyiv of undermining US mediation efforts. Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said continued attacks on energy facilities conflicted with Washington's efforts to launch peace negotiations.
Trump has opposed Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, arguing that they worsen fuel shortages and drive up global prices. Kyiv maintains that targeting refineries reduces Moscow's oil revenues used to finance the war.
The renewed attacks come amid tensions over US intelligence sharing and restrictions on Starshield satellite communications used by Ukrainian forces.
Zelenskyy said Washington had blamed a technical problem for the lack of advance warnings about Russian attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, but he believed the disruption was deliberate.
Ukrainian media, citing a Defense Ministry source, said Starshield service had been restored on Thursday. SpaceX chief Elon Musk attributed any restrictions to the US government rather than his company.
In Brussels, Zelenskyy met NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk following a visit to London. Rutte said their discussions addressed the proposed energy ceasefire and continued NATO support for Ukraine.
The dispute follows an agreement between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to supply Russian diesel to international markets in an effort to lower fuel prices, drawing criticism from Kyiv and its European allies over sanctions relief for Moscow.
