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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine will resume strikes on Russian oil refineries, accusing Washington of cutting off ballistic missile warnings and slowing Starlink service to pressure Kyiv into halting its energy attacks, the Financial Times reported (FT) Thursday.
"The block on attacking refineries is out. We’re done," Zelenskyy told the newspaper in an interview in London.
The decision marks the deepest rift between Kyiv and Washington since the February 2025 Oval Office clash, coming days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced an "energy ceasefire" and a diesel deal with Russia and called for Ukraine to replace Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine paused energy strikes to comply with Trump’s wishes while Russia kept hitting Ukrainian energy infrastructure and killing civilians. Despite the pause, his forces were left without U.S. early warnings of incoming ballistic missiles, and Starlink was slowed nationwide, hampering front-line operations, he said.
Ukrainian military officials were told by U.S. counterparts that "if you will not stop the energy strikes, we will block intelligence," Zelenskyy said, adding the move was later presented to Kyiv as a technical glitch.
"It was not a technical problem, it was the will," he said.
Asked whether Ukraine would halt energy strikes to repair ties with the White House, Zelenskyy said he could agree only in exchange for more U.S.-made Patriot interceptors, which he called the "minimum."
Trump has denied that Washington cut intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
Elon Musk wrote on X that Starshield, the military-grade network built on Starlink technology, is "owned and controlled by the U.S. government," adding: "Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the U.S. military and ultimately POTUS."
Zelenskyy warned that halting energy strikes could encourage more U.S.-Russia deals that fund Moscow’s war.
"The question will be when will the next deal be? Maybe it will be gas. Definitely it will be gas," he said, adding, "Business is interesting between the United States and Russia."
He said Trump "speaks about it openly and loudly that he loves such people and he respects such people," referring to long-serving autocrats, and called Trump's call for him to step aside "rhetoric."
"What matters is that Putin feels no pressure. When he feels no pressure, he attacks," Zelenskyy said, noting, "We didn’t destroy any relationship."
A drone attack sparked a fire at an oil refinery in Russia’s Ryazan region, Governor Pavel Malkov wrote on Telegram. "A fire broke out on the site of the oil refinery. Warehouses and vehicles on the site of another enterprise in Ryazan were also damaged," he said, adding that no one was injured, according to initial information.
Zelenskyy aide Dmytro Lytvyn had earlier called Russian reports of new refinery attacks fake.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said refinery operations were recovering.
"Some of our refineries have resumed operation after repairs. Today the situation is significantly better compared to a month, even two weeks ago," he said.
"Of course, much depends on how attacks on energy infrastructure develop. We are protecting our facilities and strengthening this protection," he said, as Kyiv prepares to resume refinery strikes.
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