Zelensky Resumes Russian Oil Refinery Strikes, Defying Trump — SkimNews
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- Volodymyr Zelensky told the Financial Times on Thursday that Ukraine is resuming strikes on Russian oil refineries, saying 'The block on attacking refineries is out. We're done,' after Kyiv suspended such attacks for a three-day truce that Russia answered with dozens of ballistic missiles at Ukrainian energy infrastructure, plunging around 600,000 people in Kyiv into darkness on Wednesday.
- Donald Trump had urged Zelensky to halt strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, suspended U.S. sanctions on Russian diesel exports on Friday, and unilaterally declared an energy truce on Sunday while also calling for Zelensky's removal, as Trump faces growing pressure to tackle rising fuel prices ahead of U.S. midterm elections.
- Zelensky cited four Washington-driven reasons for resuming strikes: U.S. military officials reportedly threatening to withhold intelligence if Ukraine hits Russian energy targets, new restrictions on Starlink access that Elon Musk accused the Trump administration of orchestrating, the White House's apparent eagerness to ink business deals with Moscow, and Trump's repeated admiration of Vladimir Putin.
- Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal publicly backed Zelensky's defiance, telling reporters: 'The faster all the Russian refineries and ability to sell energy will be blown to smithereens, the better, because Russia is funding the war with that.'
- Zelensky drew a sharp personal line on Putin, telling the FT: 'Putin is an enemy for us, and he's the real evil of today. Absolutely. How can Trump be friends with him?'
- The BBC's framing — 'Russia accuses Ukraine of attacking oil refinery after Zelensky says strikes to resume' — spotlights Moscow's response, while the dominant Western framing centers Zelensky's defiance of Trump, burying Russia's own escalation during the truce window.
Why it matters: Zelensky's open defiance of Trump — after a three-day truce that saw Russia strike Ukrainian energy targets and leave 600,000 Kyiv residents without power — risks widening a U.S.-Ukraine rift at the worst possible moment, just as Trump is juggling energy-price pressure at home and a war he wants to wind down. Estonia's endorsement shows Kyiv still has European cover, but the Starlink and intelligence-leverage points Zelensky raised suggest Washington is already quietly constraining Ukraine's battlefield options.
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