New rift in US-Ukrainian relations

Moscow accuses Kyiv of undermining mediation efforts

Musk demands the Ukrainian president step down

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Thursday the resumption of strikes on Russian oil refineries, defying his American counterpart Donald Trump’s declaration of a truce regarding the targeting of energy facilities. He also urged the United States not to stand with the "aggressor." These statements come as tensions rise again between Washington and Kyiv, with the latter expressing concern over the potential cessation of American support, even accusing Washington of aiding Russia.

Kyiv expressed its dissatisfaction at not receiving warnings from its allies regarding imminent Russian attacks against Ukraine over the past few days. It also pointed to restrictions imposed on the use of satellite services belonging to SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, which are vital to the Ukrainian military.

In an interview with the Financial Times published on Thursday, the Ukrainian president said, "The ban (on targeting refineries) has been lifted... It's over."

Ukraine had previously reported suspending strikes on Russian oil refineries over the past few days, following Trump’s unilateral announcement on Sunday of a "truce in the energy sector." Russia reported on Thursday that an oil refinery in Ryazan, located about 200 kilometers southeast of Moscow, had caught fire following a "large-scale attack" launched by Ukraine using drones and missiles. For its part, the Kremlin accused Kyiv of undermining the mediation efforts being made by the United States.

The American president had publicly criticized Ukraine on several occasions for targeting energy facilities inside Russia, considering that this exacerbates global fuel shortages and contributes to sharp price increases.

Kyiv, however, says that through these attacks, it is trying to cut off the flow of Russian revenues from hydrocarbons, which Moscow uses to fund its invasion of Ukraine.

Many refineries and fuel depots have been targeted in recent years, causing fuel shortages inside Russia.

Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that he would not agree to stop these strikes unless the United States provides Ukraine with "Patriot" interceptor missiles, at a time when Kyiv is suffering from a shortage of air defense assets to counter Russian attacks.

This message serves as a challenge to Trump’s surprise announcement of a truce on strikes against energy facilities, even though neither country has confirmed that negotiations on this matter have taken place.

Since that announcement, the Russian army has launched several raids targeting power plants in Ukraine. Moscow also accused Kyiv on Wednesday of attempting to attack oil refineries in the Russian regions of Saratov and Ryazan, which Kyiv denied.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Kyiv "continues to launch attacks on these facilities, which means a serious contradiction with the peace efforts on the part of the United States and the American negotiators who are making strenuous efforts to launch the peace process."

On Thursday, Zelensky called on his allies for "integrity" in the war against Russia, after more than four and a half years of bloody fighting, urging the United States not to stand on the side of the "aggressor."

Ukraine indicated on Wednesday that it is facing restrictions in the use of "Starshield" satellite services intended for military use in operations on the front lines and in defense, which has hindered a large part of its air defense activities and drone operations.

For his part, Elon Musk, who—like Donald Trump—demands that Zelensky step down from power, stated on Wednesday that any slowdown in the military "Starshield" network in Ukraine is due to the American government, not SpaceX.

According to a source within the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, "Starshield operations have been restored and are ongoing" as of Thursday, and Kyiv is currently seeking to "clarify all the reasons and circumstances that led to the imposition of the restrictions on" Wednesday.

According to Volodymyr Zelensky, the American side claimed that the lack of prior warning during the nights of Tuesday and Wednesday was due to a technical problem. However, Zelensky asserted in statements to the Financial Times that what happened "was not a technical problem, but was intentional."

The return of Ukrainian strikes against oil refineries comes at a time when Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have reached an agreement on the supply of huge quantities of Russian diesel to the markets, with the aim of lowering prices.

This agreement, which bypasses the sanctions imposed on Russia, was met with sharp criticism from Zelensky and Ukraine’s European allies, who described it as "weak" and "shameful."

Furthermore, in his interview with the Financial Times, Zelensky responded to French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who announced that she would cut off aid to Kyiv if she were elected president of France.

The Ukrainian president considered that "Le Pen does not fully grasp some details," adding, "Our army's experience in terms of technology is of great importance to our partners... and French industry will inevitably benefit from these technologies, and from this cooperation and joint production."