Zelenskyy: Block on Refinery Strikes Is Lifted

LONDON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country will resume strikes on Russian oil refineries, marking the collapse of the energy ceasefire claimed by US President Donald Trump. Zelenskyy made the remarks in an interview with the Financial Times in London, published Thursday (15/10/2026).

"The block [on attacking refineries] is out. We're done," Zelenskyy told the Financial Times, as reported by Reuters and CNN.

Trump announced an "energy ceasefire" on social media on Sunday (11/10/2026). Zelenskyy said Ukraine held back strikes on Russian energy facilities for two to three days to comply with Washington's wishes. But according to him, Russia kept attacking Ukraine's energy infrastructure and killing civilians during the pause. On Thursday (15/10/2026), Russia said Ukraine had attacked an oil refinery in Ryazan, south of Moscow.

Accusations Against the US: Intel Blocked, Starlink Slowed

In the interview, Zelenskyy launched sharp accusations at the United States. He said US military officials told Ukraine: "if you will not stop [the energy strikes], we will block intelligence" — although the restriction was later presented to Kyiv as a technical glitch.

Zelenskyy also rejected the explanation that the slowdown of Elon Musk's Starlink satellite service was technical. Since Wednesday, Starlink/Starshield service has slowed across Ukraine, disrupting drone operations on the front line, and Ukraine reportedly no longer received US early-warning alerts for incoming ballistic missiles. "It was not a technical problem, it was the will," Zelenskyy said, warning that cutting off intelligence access was a "dangerous" move for Ukrainian cities.

Zelenskyy added that he would only halt the refinery strikes again if the United States supplied him with Patriot air-defense interceptors — what he called the "minimum" he would accept.

Russia Diesel Deal and a Fractured Relationship

Zelenskyy also condemned Trump's sudden deal to buy diesel from Russia and Trump's apparent admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump had harshly criticized Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries and even called for Ukraine to replace Zelenskyy, arguing the strikes were raising fuel prices in the US ahead of the midterm elections.

Six bipartisan US senators criticized the Russian diesel import deal as bailing out Putin's finances. According to The Times, Russian strikes overnight killed six people in Lutsk after drones hit a warehouse, six in Kyiv, two in the Dnipropetrovsk region, and one in Zaporizhzhia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the details of Trump's energy ceasefire "were never specified" and confirmed Russia would continue attacking Ukraine's power plants.