Ukraine to Resume Strikes on Russian Oil Refineries, Zelenskyy Says
Zelenskyy said Ukraine will resume refinery strikes after a two-day pause. He said he would agree to another pause only if Ukraine received more U.S.-made Patriot interceptors.
Ukraine is set to restart strikes on Russian oil refineries, ending a two-day pause under a U.S.-backed ceasefire covering energy infrastructure, as fuel prices remain elevated. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the decision in an interview published by the Financial Times on Thursday. “The block [on attacking refineries] is out. We’re done,” he told the newspaper.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine would agree to another pause in energy strikes only if it received more U.S.-made Patriot interceptors, which are designed to shoot down ballistic missiles. He called this the “minimum” requirement. Raytheon, an RTX Corp. subsidiary (NYSE: RTX), makes the Patriot system.
He said Ukraine had lost U.S. early-warning alerts about incoming missiles. According to Zelenskyy, Ukrainian military officials were told by their U.S. counterparts that Washington could end intelligence sharing unless Kyiv halted attacks on Russian energy facilities.
Zelenskyy also said Starlink had slowed nationwide, disrupting frontline operations. Kyiv was told the slowdown was a glitch. “It was not a technical problem, it was the will,” he said. Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
(NASDAQ: SPCX) Early Wednesday, Starlink capped its military-grade service in Ukraine at 100 mph. Presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov said on Telegram that the limit disrupted missions without warning, adding that it “cannot be a coincidence.” ### How the Ceasefire Unraveled President Donald Trump announced an energy ceasefire and then a diesel supply deal with Russia last Friday. On Saturday, he called on Ukraine to replace Zelenskyy. The war is in its fifth year, and several attempts to secure a truce have failed.
The conflict and the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, which began in February, have sent fuel prices soaring. AAA data show diesel averaged $6.3173 a gallon as of Wednesday, compared with $3.6554 a year earlier. The record is $6.5276, set Sept. 22.