Russia says Ukraine will resume attacks on oil refineries
Ukraine's president had previously said Kyiv's energy ceasefire had ended and that attacks on Russian oil refineries would resume.
Russia says Ukraine has targeted an oil refinery in Ryazan, about 180 kilometers (110 miles) south of Moscow, as President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kiev had agreed to an energy ceasefire unilaterally announced by US President Donald Trump over the weekend.
"The Kiev regime attempted to attack an oil refinery in Ryazan, and a fire broke out after debris from a drone fell on the refinery site," Moscow's Defense Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
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Ukraine's president earlier told the Financial Times that attacks on Russian oil refineries would resume and accused the United States of undermining Ukraine's position on the battlefield by allegedly withdrawing from vital intelligence sharing.
On Sunday, Trump unilaterally announced an "energy cease-fire" that was not publicly confirmed, and Moscow continued to attack Ukraine's energy infrastructure. After Trump's announcement, Ukraine announced that it had suspended attacks on Russian energy sites for several days.
The United States has pressured Ukraine to stop attacks on Russian refineries, claiming that suspending the attacks and buying 1.8 million tons of diesel from Russia would help reduce rising fuel prices.
"It's not easy politically [in America] because everyone wants to ask how it is when some people survive, fight, die - and you trade with those who have such atrocities," Zelensky told the FT.
Zelensky also claimed that Ukraine's access to SpaceX's satellite internet service was restricted, potentially making it more vulnerable to Russian attacks. The Ukrainian Armed Forces use SpaceX's military-grade Starshield system for offensive and defensive operations.
SpaceX owner Elon Musk said in a post Wednesday night on X that only the US military and Trump have the authority to limit the use and speed of Starshield for customers.
In a separate post, he called on Zelensky to "go" as Ukraine's leader.
"And so the killing continues," Musk wrote in a separate post on X. It's time for Zelensky to go.
Ukraine is heavily dependent on Western military aid in the fight against Russia, particularly the United States and Germany. However, ties between Kiev and Washington have soured in recent weeks, with Trump calling for Zelensky's replacement on Saturday.
Against this backdrop of tensions, Zelensky said he was willing to halt attacks on Russian energy sites again, but only if the United States provided Ukraine with critical Patriot interceptors.
Zelensky is due to meet European leaders in Brussels on Thursday as he pushes for tougher sanctions on Moscow and faster delivery of EU support.
First, Secretary of State Rob Jetton has called on EU leaders to step up their game to ensure Ukraine wins the war against Russia.
The EU has already pledged $50 billion to support Ukraine next year. However, this is far less than the $175 billion that Kiev will spend on its defense next year.
Trump has denied that the United States has stopped sharing information with Ukraine.