Ukraine resumed strikes on Russian oil refineries on Thursday after President Volodymyr Zelensky declared an end to a U.S.-brokered energy ceasefire, citing Russia’s continued attacks on Ukrainian power stations.
Zelensky told the Financial Times that Ukraine’s patience had run out, stating, “The block [on attacking refineries] is out. We’re done.” The decision followed days of Russian missile and drone strikes that knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians, despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s Sunday announcement of a truce on energy targets. A senior Ukrainian official confirmed a drone strike hit a refinery in Russia’s Ryazan region, about 300 kilometers southeast of Moscow, triggering a fire.
Trump condemned Ukraine’s resumption of strikes, calling it a “disgrace” that drives up global oil prices. In a Newsmax interview, he said, “All he’s doing is making the world oil price higher,” referring to Zelensky. The Ukrainian president also criticized Trump’s willingness to strike deals with Moscow, including a recent agreement to import Russian diesel, and accused Washington of restricting intelligence sharing and Starlink satellite communications critical for Ukrainian drones.
Zelensky, in Brussels for an EU summit, sought to rally European support as tensions with Washington deepened. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov labeled Ukraine’s refinery strikes a “direct and crude challenge to President Trump,” while Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed Ukraine never halted its attacks.
