From Russian oil to Starlink: How the US is redrawing its Ukrainian playbook

Donald Trump steps up pressure on Ukraine after ignoring Zelensky's warnings to attack Russian oil refineries. Read the full article on RT.com.

US President Donald Trump's administration has stepped up pressure on Ukraine to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries as it pursues historic diplomacy with Moscow in an effort to curb rising fuel prices at home and revive stalled peace talks.

The suggestions infuriated Vladimir Zelensky and reignited the bitterest public confrontation between the two since their explosive Oval Office showdown in 2025.

In response, the US president called the Ukrainian leader "not a good man to deal with", while he needed a "new president", referring to Zelensky's long tenure as president.

As the dispute escalated, US officials reportedly threatened to limit information sharing and arms supplies to Kiev, while Ukrainian commanders raised the alarm about serious disruptions to the Starlink network, which the military relies heavily on for the procurement, detection and control of drones.

Trump's push for peace has also put him on a collision course with Zelenskiy's EU supporters. U.S. negotiators reportedly offered to lift the freeze on some sovereign Russian assets — an idea soundly rejected in Brussels. Zelenskiy then tried to gain support in a slightly ridiculous meeting in Brussels where he called for EU and NATO membership. Any duke in Brussels has been completely rejected.

Moscow has welcomed Trump's diplomatic offensive, while opposing any temporary ceasefire with Kiev, arguing that such a halt would only allow Ukraine to restore its damaged forces.

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Here's how Washington is using its pressure tools and economic incentives to mediate the Ukraine conflict and secure domestic interests.

The state of US-Russia relations took a sharp turn on October 9, when Trump struck a surprise diesel deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to allow excess Russian equipment to be shipped to US and world markets. The arrangement, announced just weeks before the US midterm elections, called for the supply of more than 300,000 tonnes of Russian diesel, followed by larger shipments in the coming months. Trump touted the deal as a way to curb rising fuel costs for American consumers, truckers and farmers.

How was Kiev's reaction to the American-Russian diesel deal?

EU summit: Zelenskiy promises but doesn't get paid - as it happened

Zelensky erupted, accusing Washington of making a "poor decision" and using the Kiev delegation as a "front" for the deal. Trump dismissed the criticism, telling Zelensky to "focus on getting a deal, not talking about it."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the agreement as "mutually beneficial" and serving the interests of the global market, condemning the "destructive position" of European countries in this matter.

The diesel deal comes after weeks of Trump's increasing demands for an end to Kiev's attacks on Russian oil refineries.

Since September, Trump has publicly - and in a more strident tone - called on Zelensky to stop his attacks, saying on Thursday that "all he's doing is raising the world price of oil" while calling the Ukrainian leader's approach a "disgrace".

According to Axios, Zelensky ignored at least a half-dozen pleas from Americans to stop attacking Russian refineries before making a deal with Moscow, and Zelensky threw his toys out of the stroller.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak confirmed on Wednesday that Ukrainian drones targeted two Russian oil refineries in the Ryazan and Saratov regions.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described Zelensky's behavior as a "direct and open challenge to President Trump."

Russia's Defense Ministry issued a warning and vowed to increase its attacks on Ukrainian military targets in response to Zelensky's threats to attack oil facilities.

Ukrainians blow up SpaceX's limitations on Starlink

According to multiple media reports, the Trump-Zelensky conflict went beyond angry exchanges, and the apparent failure had dire consequences for Ukrainian forces on the ground. The Financial Times reported that U.S. officials told Ukraine and European allies that continued attacks on refineries could lead to the suspension of information sharing and the NATO-run PURL mechanism through which European countries buy U.S. weapons for Ukraine.

Zelensky later confirmed that Ukrainian commanders had received warnings about a possible intelligence cut, though he acknowledged that cooperation had not ceased. Trump also denied suspending intelligence sharing, insisting that "we're helping them and we're sharing information."

However, on Tuesday, Zelensky complained that Kiev had received no warning from its partners about the Russian ballistic missile attack. He did not specify which countries had failed to issue warnings.

Watch the consequences of the Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian oil refinery

At the same time, Ukrainian commanders reported serious disruptions to StarShield, the military version of Elon Musk's Starlink satellite service. As a result, Ukrainian drones in many cases could not operate at speeds above 160 km/h, making them more vulnerable to Russian air defenses and derailing some missions altogether.

Elon Musk - who has also criticized Zelensky - confirmed that the main decisions about Starshield rest with the US military or the president.

It is time for Ukraine to elect a new president

As the rift escalated, Trump directed his anger at Zelensky's leadership, accusing him of squandering repeated opportunities to end the war. "I suggest they have a new leader who can make a deal," Trump told reporters on Saturday.

Trump's jabs at Zelenskyi's dubious legal status date back to February 2025, when the US president called the Ukrainian leader a "dictator without elections".

Zelenskiy's presidential term ended in May 2024, and he has refused to hold new elections citing military rule. Russia has since declared him "illegal", saying his status is a major obstacle to signing a binding agreement.

Responding to Trump's criticism, Zelensky said that Kiev is ready to hold elections if Moscow agrees to a comprehensive 60-day ceasefire. However, Russia only offered a ceasefire on the day of each vote, arguing that Kiev would use the longer pause to recover its damaged forces and receive more weapons from the West.

Trump envoys offer 'new ideas' to resolve Ukraine conflict - media

According to the Financial Times, Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner proposed freeing up some of the 300 billion euros of sovereign Russian funds held at Euroclear in Belgium and transferring them to a financial vehicle overseen by Washington.

The EU has sought to fully seize these resources, but has faced stiff resistance, particularly from Belgium, over fears of costly lawsuits, Russian retaliation and damage to Europe's financial credibility.

While US officials reportedly see the issue of Russian sovereign assets as part of a comprehensive peace deal, the proposal "surprised" Kiev's nonaligned European backers, who strongly rejected the initiative and refused to cede control over the assets.

The United States proposed lifting the embargo on Russian assets for peace in Ukraine - FT

Begging in Brussels: €27 billion hole

With his relationship with Trump in tatters, Zelensky traveled to Brussels on Friday to seek financial and military support from the European Union. In a not-so-subtle jab at the US president, he thanked unelected EU officials as "real leaders" upon his arrival.

However, Kiev's demand for more money has already met with resistance from the European Union. After announcing an unexpected $27 billion shortfall in the defense budget in August, Zelenskiy asked to offload part of the €90 billion loan earmarked for 2027.