Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has ordered attacks on Russian oil refineries to resume in a spiraling confrontation with Donald Trump over restrictions on US intelligence assistance.
Zelenskyy said he’s ending a three-day pause on strikes in response to the US president’s call on Sunday for an “energy ceasefire” after he accused Trump and billionaire Elon Musk of restraining Kyiv’s ability to defend itself against Russian missile and drone attacks.
Hours after the president announced the move, normal service on Starshield internet terminals used by Ukraine’s military appeared to have resumed. Starshield operations have been restored and the Defense Ministry in Kyiv is continuing to talk with the US about why previous service was restricted, a person familiar with the matter said, asking not to be identified because the matter is sensitive.
Moscow has continued attacking Ukrainian energy infrastructure and civilian targets over the last few days leading to a mounting death toll.
“The block is out. We’re done,” the Ukrainian president said in relation to the pause on refinery strikes, in an interview with the Financial Times in London published Thursday.
The decision deepens one of the most serious ruptures between Zelenskyy and Trump since the latter returned to the White House in January last year promising to end the war between Russia and Ukraine in a day. It follows the infamous Oval Office clash between the two leaders in February last year and US attempts to pressure Kyiv into accepting a 28-point peace plan that overwhelmingly favored Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Reflecting investor concern about Ukraine’s security outlook, the government’s dollar bonds underperformed all emerging- and frontier-market peers this week. Several traded at the weakest since April or early May on Thursday.
Trump announced last week that he’d struck a deal with Putin to allow diesel sales to the US and global markets to try to cut fuel prices ahead of Nov. 3 midterm elections, even as Russia continues relentless missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities targeting power and water supplies.
A fire broke out at an oil refinery in Russia’s Ryazan region after a mass drone attack overnight and Thursday morning, regional Governor Pavel Malkov said in Telegram statement.
The US president has piled pressure on Zelenskyy to halt attacks on Russian refineries that are among Ukraine’s most effective means of disrupting the Kremlin’s war economy. But Trump has made no demands on Putin to stop bombing Ukraine.
Zelenskyy expressed a feeling of betrayal over the diesel deal and US restrictions on Kyiv’s military use of the satellite terminals provided by Musk’s SpaceX in a separate interview with British journalist Piers Morgan in London on Wednesday.
“It’s a pity that we are losing, we are losing a strong partner, so this is my opinion,” Zelenskyy said. “It’s painful when President Trump chooses one side, not our side.”
Ukraine sought answers from the US and NATO allies when it reported the sudden restriction of the Starshield service on Wednesday after a wave of Russian missile and drone attacks on energy plants.
Zelenskyy is due in Brussels for a meeting of European leaders on Thursday to rally support for Ukraine during the European Council summit. Some of Kyiv’s allies have already expressed concerns about the US tilt toward Russia.
“Pretending that Russia is returning as a normal member of the G20 and sitting back at the table — that won’t happen with me or the other Europeans,” German Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil said Thursday.
“No one will convince me that the surrender of those who defend their freedom can be called peace,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in an address to the Italian Senate on Wednesday.
Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten on Thursday dismissed Trump’s diesel deal with Putin as “ridiculous,” saying the US president made a “very bad decision” that won’t help to lower energy prices.
“The US president has overestimated that he could get Putin to agree to peace eventually if he only treated him very nicely,” Jetten told reporters ahead of the EU summit. “This is about building pressure and pain for Russia until they have no other choice than agreeing to peace.”
Zelenskyy said the limits on the Starshield network had led to civilian deaths because Ukrainian interceptors using the technology could no longer work as effectively in defending against Russian explosive-laden drones.
“I am sure they knew what they did, absolutely,” Zelenskyy told Morgan, when asked if Ukraine’s use of the satellite service had been intentionally disrupted. “I think he is not right. It’s a big mistake.”
Musk reacted to Zelenskyy’s accusations with a post on the X platform which he owns, calling for the Ukrainian president to step down.
“Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government,” Musk said in a separate post on X. Decisions about their use are made by the US military and ultimately by Trump, he said.
Musk’s call echoed Trump’s suggestion on Saturday that Zelenskyy should consider stepping aside as Ukraine’s president.
The US briefly suspended military assistance and intelligence sharing with Ukraine after last year’s confrontation in the Oval Office, though both resumed after further negotiations.
The 28-point peace plan drawn up by Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and Kremlin aide Kirill Dmitriev last November demanded major concessions on territory and the size of Ukraine’s military from Kyiv. Zelenskyy warned Ukrainians at the time that the country could face a choice between preserving its “dignity” and risking the loss of a key partner.
Zelenskyy told the FT that Trump “loves” autocrats, when asked to explain his relationship with Putin.
“He speaks about it openly and loudly,” Zelenskyy said. “Because for him people who can be leaders 20 years, 30 years, 40 years, it means they can be very strong.”
–With assistance from Yongchang Chin, Andras Gergely, Katharina Rosskopf and Stephen Stapczynski.
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Bloomberg news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
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