President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine will resume strikes on Russian oil refineries. He made this announcement in an interview with The Financial Times published on Thursday. Zelensky had paused the attacks to comply with a U.S. demand. Regarding the pause, he said, "That's it. The block is out."
President Volodymyr Zelensky made the announcement in an interview with The Financial Times. He had paused the strikes to comply with a demand from the United States.
Ukraine will resume striking Russian oil refineries in defiance of a U.S. demand, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said in an interview with The Financial Times published on Thursday, reflecting a widespread feeling in Ukraine of betrayal by the Trump administration.
A resumption of Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries would end a three-day pause on such attacks that Mr. Zelensky had imposed to comply with an energy cease-fire that was unilaterally declared by President Trump. Ukraine agreed to halt refinery strikes out of fear that it would lose vital U.S.-provided intelligence that it needs to warn its population of incoming Russian strikes. Russia continued to attack Ukrainian power plants and substations during the pause.
Asked in the Financial Times interview how much longer Ukraine would maintain the pause, Mr. Zelensky said, "That's it. The block is out." He did not provide details or say when refinery strikes -- previously part of a Ukrainian campaign to bring the war closer to Russians -- would resume.
On Thursday, Pavel Malkov, the governor of Ryazan, a Russian region southeast of Moscow, said on social media that a fire had broken out at an oil refinery after a drone strike overnight. He did not specify who was behind the attack.
In Mr. Zelensky's Financial Times interview, which took place during his visit to London on Wednesday to meet with Prime Minister Andy Burnham and King Charles III of Britain, he also said that U.S. military officials had threatened to withhold intelligence if Ukraine did not stop attacking Russian energy infrastructure.
"They said, 'If you will not stop, we will block intelligence,'" Mr. Zelensky said, referring to what he described as communication between American military officials and their Ukrainian counterparts. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.