The Russian-Ukrainian war enters a new phase

Ukraine accused the United States on Wednesday of helping Russia, stating that Washington failed to warn it of missile strikes and slowed down the "Starlink" system, upon which Kyiv relies for field communications and logistical operations at the front lines.

This comes after US President Donald Trump confirmed on Tuesday that Washington continues to provide assistance to Ukraine, while a US official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Wednesday that his country's policy has not changed.

The Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, was subjected to ballistic missile strikes over the past two nights, before sirens sounded warning residents to take shelter in basements, bunkers, or metro stations.

The strikes targeted energy facilities, leading to power outages for more than 600,000 people, despite Trump's surprise announcement of a truce in reciprocal strikes on energy facilities within the conflict that has been ongoing for nearly five years.

A high-ranking Ukrainian official told AFP on Wednesday, on condition of anonymity, that the United States is helping Russia, adding, "We have not received warnings from Washington in two instances so far regarding the launch of Russian ballistic missiles in a large-scale ballistic attack on the energy sector." He continued, "Furthermore, the Americans have reduced the speed of the Starlink network."

For his part, one of the technical advisors to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that the restrictions imposed on the operation of Starlink internet terminals prevented Ukraine from countering jet-powered drones.

Serhii Beskrestnov said in a post on Telegram, "Through these actions, our partners are depriving us of one of the few means available to us to defend the country against jet-powered Shahed drones."

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called on alliance members to intensify support to strengthen Ukraine's air defense capabilities, saying, "With winter approaching and Russian aggression continuing, allies need to do more, especially to support air defense."

Zelenskyy accused Moscow on Wednesday of deliberately ignoring the halt in strikes on energy facilities announced by US President Donald Trump earlier.

In the latest toll, Ukrainian authorities announced the death of at least five people and the injury of 25 others in Kyiv, while two others were killed in the Dnipropetrovsk region in the center of the country, and one person was killed in the Zaporizhzhia region in southeastern Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said in a post on the X platform, "A Russian ballistic missile strike directed specifically at energy infrastructure, the same infrastructure covered by the ceasefire announced by the US President."

He added, "The strike was entirely deliberate and expressive in its scope; Russia has never before shown such blatant disregard for the United States."

The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed in a statement that it carried out a "large-scale strike with high-precision weapons" on the night of Tuesday-Wednesday on "energy and communications infrastructure sites" in Kyiv and its region and in Kharkiv, noting that all targets serve military interests.

Earlier, the Ukrainian President said that a power plant in Kyiv was hit by a Russian missile on Tuesday evening, without Ukraine receiving any early warning from its Western allies regarding this attack.

Zelenskyy confirmed via Facebook, "A Russian ballistic missile attack on Kyiv. Once again, there was no prior warning from our partners. The main target was an energy facility, specifically Thermal Power Plant No. 4."

Ukraine relies on Western military intelligence, especially American, to monitor Russian attacks.

The recent renewed tension between Zelenskyy and Trump raises fears in Kyiv of a decline in this vital support.

Zelenskyy added, "The Russians are not only destroying our energy infrastructure, but Ukraine is not even receiving prior warnings about the launch of ballistic missiles."

In parallel, a senior Ukrainian official reported to AFP that Washington threatened to stop sharing intelligence with Kyiv if Ukraine did not stop its attacks on Russian oil refineries.

However, a US official confirmed to AFP on Wednesday that there is "no change" in the policy of sharing intelligence with Ukraine, in light of the Ukrainian accusations.

The US official, who preferred to remain anonymous, said, "The United States has not made any change to the policy of sharing intelligence with its allies and partners, including Ukraine."

The European Union also reported that there were no indications of a halt in intelligence sharing from the United States regarding Ukraine.

Trump had confirmed on Tuesday, in turn, that his country continues to provide support to Kyiv.

On the night of Monday-Tuesday, residents of Kyiv heard explosions caused by Russian strikes, and the air raid siren was not sounded until afterward, something that has happened in the past but was rare.

Ukrainian officials attributed this situation on Tuesday to the Russian military's use of missiles that are difficult to detect or to potential "technical problems."

Russia is closely monitoring any potential change in US policy toward Kyiv.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, "We are following this closely. It is too early to draw conclusions."

Russia announced on Wednesday the downing of 902 Ukrainian drones, including 180 near Moscow.

The attacks significantly disrupted operations at Moscow airports, with work suspended at Vnukovo Airport for more than eight hours, according to the relevant authorities.

Russia's largest bank, Sberbank, also announced that its data center in the Saratov region in the Volga area had been attacked by drones, without its operations being affected.

Both Russia and Ukraine have intensified their reciprocal strikes in recent months, which result in an increasing number of civilian casualties, at a time when the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II approaches its fifth year.