President Donald Trump has labeled Ukraine’s resumption of strikes on Russian oil refineries a “disgrace,” the latest salvo in his campaign to pressure the U.S. ally over rising gas prices that could cost Republicans in next month’s Midterm elections. Kyiv said Thursday that it would no longer abide by Trump’s “energy ceasefire,” citing Russia’s refusal to halt its own attacks on Ukraine’s power grid. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy angrily accused the U.S. of costing civilian lives by striking deals with Moscow and withdrawing support that is crucial to Kyiv’s defense against the Kremlin’s invasion.
Ukrainian officials had raised alarm after restrictions on the Starlink satellite service disrupted military operations, and gaps in intelligence sharing left Kyiv vulnerable to Russian attacks. With Ukraine defying his demands to halt strikes, Trump responded late Thursday. There’s plenty of other targets; they don’t have to hit,” Trump said.
Ukraine hit a Russian oil refinery on Thursday after Zelenskyy said he was “done” with the truce, which Trump had announced to the apparent surprise of both sides in the war. Neither Moscow or Kyiv reported any new strikes on Russian refineries on Friday. Trump has sought to blame Ukraine’s strikes for destabilizing the price of diesel globally, despite the impact of his own war in Iran.
But this campaign of attacks deep inside enemy territory has given Ukraine crucial leverage, sparking a major fuel crisis inside Russia. Kyiv hoped this would give it a stronger hand at the negotiating table, but as Washington pushes for an end to the conflict it has taken a series of steps that have caused surprise and alarm among Ukraine and its backers in Europe. Last week, Trump announced a deal to buy diesel from Russia, an apparent attempt to relieve pressure at the pump for American consumers ahead of the Midterm elections but which reversed years of U.S. policy.
Trump then called for Kyiv to stop all strikes on Russian oil infrastructure and said Zelenskyy had to be replaced as Ukraine’s leader. It comes amid mounting questions about whether the U.S. is still sharing critical military intelligence with Ukraine after a pair of major strikes earlier this week that Kyiv said came without a usual advance warning from its partners. Ukraine also reported a slowing down of the Starlink satellite terminals, which are critical for its army’s communications, drone missions and aerial defenses.
Kyiv said that Starshield, the military version of the technology that is used by Ukraine’s troops, had been limited without any warning. SpaceX chief Elon Musk, the billionaire Trump ally, said that such decisions were up to the U.S. military and ultimately Trump. After repeated requests for comment about Musk’s statement, a senior U.S. official told NBC News that “no such request was ever made by the president.” Trump has also denied restricting military intelligence for Ukraine.
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