Zelensky says Ukraine will resume strikes on Russian oil refineries

After Ukrainian President said the pause ended following new Russian attacks, Russia reported a Ukrainian strike on an oil refinery on Thursday.

Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine would resume attacks on Russian oil refineries and accused the United States of withdrawing important support.

Ukraine's president said he had ordered Washington to limit such attacks for three days, while Russia continued its attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. "We're done," he told the Financial Times.

Zelensky also accused the U.S. of holding back on sharing information about Russian strikes to pressure Kiev to end the strikes altogether after it struck a deal to import Russian diesel, saying restrictions on Starlink satellite services used by Ukraine's military were deliberate.

The Kremlin announced early Thursday that Ukraine had "attempted a large-scale attack" on an oil refinery south of Moscow.

According to the Ministry of Defense of Russia, four missiles and dozens of interception drones and falling debris caused a fire at the Ryazan site.

At the same time, Zelensky said that dozens of Ukrainian cities have been attacked by Russia in the past day.

He previously said he would agree to the so-called "energy truce" announced by US President Donald Trump on Sunday if Moscow adheres to it.

But he accused Russia of ignoring the proposed deal within hours of its announcement, leaving hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians without electricity. The Kremlin never said it agreed with the deal.

Zelensky admitted he felt betrayed by the US when asked by Piers Morgan on Wednesday night after Washington appeared to withdraw key elements of its support.

The Ukrainian leader told the FT that US counterparts had told Ukrainian officials that "if you don't stop [the attacks], we will block information".

Ukraine's military relies on early US warnings of Russian airstrikes to deploy air defenses, limiting successful attacks, while Starlink internet links are used throughout its war effort to guide drones and protect its skies.

After Starlink unexpectedly limited the drones' flight speed while still maintaining internet connectivity on Tuesday, there were suggestions that a technical fault was to blame. But owner Elon Musk apparently denied this, suggesting it was the work of the Trump administration. Trump denied stopping information sharing.

"It wasn't a technical problem, it was a will," Zelensky told the FT.

Sources in Ukraine's Defense Ministry told the BBC earlier on Thursday that Starshield services - the military version of Starlink - had been restored.

They said authorities were still trying to clarify "the reasons and circumstances behind yesterday's restrictions".

Zelensky was speaking to the FT during a visit to London on Wednesday, which also included a meeting in Downing Street with Prime Minister Andy Burnham - who announced Britain would speed up the delivery of lightweight multi-purpose missiles to Kiev.

European leaders have also rallied around Zelenskiy. The issue is expected to be discussed at their summit in Brussels later Thursday.

Ukraine's president told the newspaper that he would now halt attacks on Russian oil infrastructure — which Kiev says is critical to cutting off revenue streams for its war machine — if the United States supplies more Patriot air defense missiles.

Ukraine has been suffering from a shortage of American-made defense equipment since the start of the war with Iran, which consumed its reserves.

In a more defiant tone than recently, the Ukrainian president told the newspaper that his American counterpart favors autocratic leaders like Russia's Vladimir Putin.

He said it was not up to him to fix US-Ukraine relations in light of last week's events. "We did not destroy any relationship."

There were already tensions between the two leaders. After returning to the White House last year, the pair shared a fiery Oval Office meeting in which Trump hinted at Zelensky as a major obstacle to a peace deal.

Zelensky has since walked a fine diplomatic line, showing his willingness to deal with U.S. brokers while insisting that the terms of any peace deal must be fair.

But he criticized the agreement between Russia and the United States to supply 300,000 tons of diesel to the U.S. and global markets, reached last week, as the U.S. effectively invests in Russia's war effort.

This agreement was the latest attempt by Trump to reduce the price of fuel in the United States before the mid-term elections after months of fighting on political issues.

The conflict has caused the cost of gasoline—and especially diesel—to skyrocket and eroded his standing among the American public.

"The question will be: when will the next deal be? Maybe it will be gas. It will definitely be gas," Zelensky told the FT.

As Russia continues to attack Ukraine, Zelensky suggested that the disruptions in US support were no accident.

High-speed Internet via Starlink satellites is used by the Ukrainian military to guide drones and communicate with the front line. Ukrainian authorities have said they were not warned before the speed limit was imposed on the above link.

Its sister service Starshield is provided under contract by the US Department of Defense (DoD).

Musk denied responsibility for SpaceX's system limitations, saying the US government may be responsible for the slowdown.

He wrote on Wednesday that the systems are owned and controlled by the U.S. government and that "any limitations on speed or use would be decided by the U.S. military and ultimately by [Trump]."

The Trump administration has not commented on the matter. The BBC has approached the White House and the Ministry of Defense for comment.