Zelensky Resumes Ukrainian Strikes After US Support Tensions Escalate

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has ended a three-day pause on attacking Russian oil refineries, signaling a sharp deterioration in relations with the Trump administration. In an interview with the Financial Times, Zelensky said simply: “We’re done” with the voluntary restrictions he had agreed to just days earlier.

The decision marks a significant escalation in tensions between Kyiv and Washington, coming after Zelensky accused the US of weaponizing its support by threatening to withhold intelligence and deliberately restricting Starlink satellite services. These tools are critical to Ukraine’s war effort, used for everything from drone operations to air defense coordination.

The Broken Energy Ceasefire

Zelensky had originally agreed to an “energy ceasefire” proposed by US President Donald Trump on Sunday. The deal was supposed to halt both Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure and Russian attacks on Ukrainian power plants. But within hours of the announcement, Zelensky claims Russia violated the agreement, launching strikes that left hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians without electricity.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin never formally agreed to the ceasefire in the first place. On Thursday morning, Russian officials accused Ukraine of attempting a large-scale attack on an oil refinery near Moscow, claiming to have intercepted four missiles and dozens of drones. The debris from these alleged interceptions caused a fire at the Ryazan facility.

Zelensky responded by documenting continued Russian aggression. Dozens of Ukrainian cities came under attack in a single day, with over 850 drones launched at communities across the country. In the central region of Kirovohrad alone, nearly 360 drones struck during a 10-hour barrage, marking the region’s largest attack since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022. At least 13 people were killed.

Washington’s Controversial Withdrawal

The real bombshell came when Zelensky detailed how the US allegedly pressured Ukraine into abandoning its energy campaign. Ukrainian officials told the Financial Times that US counterparts explicitly threatened: “If you will not stop [the strikes], we will block intelligence.”

This wasn’t an idle threat. Ukraine’s military depends entirely on American early-warning alerts of incoming Russian aerial attacks. Without this intelligence, Ukrainian air defenses become far less effective, leaving cities vulnerable.

Then came the Starlink restrictions. On Tuesday, the speed of Ukraine’s military drones using Starlink suddenly dropped dramatically. Elon Musk initially suggested technical problems were to blame, but later appeared to contradict himself, implying the Trump administration was responsible. Trump denied involvement.

“It was not a technical problem, it was the will,” Zelensky told the FT, flatly rejecting the technical glitch explanation.

A Defiant Tone Emerges

Byline sources in Ukraine’s Defense Ministry told the BBC that the military version of Starlink had its “operation while on the move” restored early Thursday, though officials were still investigating the restrictions’ origins.

A soldier serving with one of Ukraine’s drone reconnaissance units called any deliberate Starlink restrictions “a betrayal,” speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

Zelensky’s frustration extends beyond military support. He criticized a recent deal between Trump and Russia that released 300,000 tonnes of Russian diesel to global markets, calling it tantamount to the US investing in Russia’s war effort. The agreement was largely driven by Trump’s desire to lower fuel prices ahead of American midterm elections.

When asked by Piers Morgan if he felt betrayed by the US, Zelensky agreed entirely. He later told the FT that he won’t be responsible for mending US-Ukrainian relations. “We didn’t destroy any relationship,” he said pointedly.

Zelensky now says he’ll only halt strikes on Russian oil infrastructure if the US supplies additional Patriot air defense missiles. Ukraine has faced severe shortages of these systems since conflicts elsewhere consumed global stockpiles.

European leaders have rallied around the Ukrainian president, with the matter expected to dominate a Brussels summit Thursday. Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced the UK would accelerate delivery of lightweight multirole missiles to Kyiv, providing at least one Western ally firmly in Ukraine’s corner.

Zelensky struck a more defiant tone than in recent weeks, questioning whether Trump has an affinity for autocratic leaders like Putin and suggesting the disruptions to US support were no coincidence. As Russia escalates attacks using the window created by easing sanctions, the question becomes whether Ukraine can sustain its defense without American intelligence and technology support.

Source: BBC