Zelensky Scrapped Trump's Energy Pause and Ukraine Hit a Russian Oil Refinery Near Moscow Again

Donald Trump's energy ceasefire lasted about three days on Ukraine's side. Volodymyr Zelensky told the Financial Times that Kyiv is "done" holding back, after Russia kept striking Ukrainian power infrastructure through the pause. Soon after, Russia said Ukraine had hit the Ryazan oil refinery, about 180 km southeast of Moscow.

For oil markets and for the White House, that is the part that matters. Trump wanted Russian refineries left alone because their output, and diesel above all, has become part of his plan to bring down American fuel prices before the midterms.

A pause only one side kept

Trump announced the energy ceasefire on Truth Social over the weekend. Moscow never publicly confirmed it and kept hitting Ukrainian energy targets. Ukraine, by its own account, suspended attacks on Russian energy sites for several days anyway. The announcement briefly knocked oil prices lower.

It did not hold. Zelensky said more than 850 drones were launched at Ukraine between midnight and Thursday morning, and an attack in Kirovohrad lasting over 10 hours killed three people and injured six, according to Al Jazeera. Local officials told the BBC at least 13 people were killed across Ukraine on Wednesday.

Russia's defence ministry said Kyiv "attempted a large-scale attack" on Ryazan, that four missiles and dozens of drones were intercepted, and that falling debris set the site on fire. Vladimir Putin said Ukraine had also tried on Wednesday without significant damage. Ukraine denied that earlier attempt.

Trump's oil math

Trump was not pleased. On Newsmax on Thursday he said the resumed strikes were "making the world oil price higher" and called them "a disgrace." Ukraine has "plenty of other targets," he argued, and hitting diesel infrastructure is "not doing a good service for the world." He added that he finds Zelensky "more difficult to deal with than Putin."

The irritation has a price tag behind it. Washington pressured Kyiv to stop hitting refineries and struck a deal for Russia to export 1.8 million tonnes of diesel to help cool soaring US fuel prices. Zelensky has criticized that arrangement as effectively investing in Russia's war effort. Every Ukrainian drone that sets a Russian refinery burning works against it.

The leverage game

Zelensky says Ukraine was not given much choice in the first place. He told the FT that US officials warned Kyiv that if it would not stop the strikes, Washington would block intelligence. He has accused the US of withdrawing intelligence sharing and restricting Starlink, and Elon Musk suggested the Starlink change was policy rather than a glitch. Trump denies halting intelligence sharing.

Some of that pressure appears to have eased. Ukrainian defence sources told the BBC that some Starshield functionality for operating on the move has resumed, though it is unclear whether speed limits affecting drones have been fully lifted.

Zelensky has named his own price for another pause: more Patriot interceptors. Ukraine has been short of them since the Iran war drained stockpiles, and the Russian barrages keep coming.

In Brussels, Europe sided with Kyiv's framing. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the answer is to pressure the aggressor, not the victim. For now, Ukraine's refinery campaign is back on, and with it the tension between Kyiv's war aims and Washington's fuel bill.

Some offers on this page may be paid placements or contain affiliate links.