Ukraine Resumes Russian Refinery Strikes as Zelenskyy Decries U.S. Support Withdrawal

POLICY WIRE — Kyiv, Ukraine — Ukraine has officially restarted its offensive against Russian oil refineries, signaling a sharp escalation following President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s public condemnation of the United States for what he described as a dangerous reduction in critical defense support.

Kyiv had paused its strikes for three days following President Donald Trump’s declaration of a unilateral energy ceasefire. However, Ukrainian officials argued that Russia repeatedly breached this agreement by launching continued assaults on Ukraine’s power infrastructure.

President Trump has publicly criticized the Ukrainian refinery campaign, claiming it contributes to rising energy costs, even as his own administration navigates a separate conflict with Iran. In a Thursday interview with the Financial Times, Zelenskyy signaled that his administration’s patience had reached its limit, stating, The block (on attacking refineries) is out. We’re done.

Shortly after these remarks, Governor Pavel Malkov confirmed a fire broke out at an oil refinery in the western Ryazan region. The Russian defense ministry subsequently reported that Ukraine had attempted a massive strike on the facility.

The current tensions stem from a sudden policy pivot by President Trump, who recently brokered a diesel agreement with Russia to lower domestic fuel prices ahead of the Midterm elections. Trump has also demanded that Ukraine cease its refinery attacks and has publicly called for the removal of Zelenskyy from power.

These developments have sparked widespread confusion and frustration across Ukraine and Europe, raising significant questions regarding the reliability of the U.S. as a strategic partner. Concerns were further heightened on Wednesday when Kyiv reported that Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite terminals were experiencing slowdowns, hindering both battlefield operations and the interception of incoming Russian drones.

Musk, a prominent supporter of Trump, noted on social media that control over the military application of his satellite system rests with the U.S. military and the president. Overnight, Musk further stated that it was “time for Zelenskyy to go.”

The situation is compounded by reports that the U.S. may be restricting the flow of vital military intelligence. Zelenskyy noted that recent ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv occurred without the standard advance warnings previously provided by American partners.

According to the Financial Times, Ukrainian military officials were warned by their U.S. counterparts that intelligence sharing would be blocked if the energy strikes continued, though the threat was later framed as a technical issue. Zelenskyy emphasized that the combination of reduced intelligence and compromised Starlink access is dangerous, noting that sustaining the war effort without U.S. assistance would be very difficult.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)