Ukraine temporarily suspended strikes on Russian oil refineries under pressure from Trump
Ukraine has temporarily halted strikes on oil refineries in Russia following pressure from US President Donald Trump. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported this, citing sources familiar with the situation. Kyiv has not officially announced such a pause.
Ukraine temporarily suspended strikes on Russian oil refineries under pressure from Trump
According to the publication's interlocutors, the informal pause began early last week, at the peak of the crisis in relations between Kyiv and Washington. It is expected to last until the end of the midterm elections in the US on November 3. The practice of not striking may also persist after the elections, in November.
Reuters reported that it was unable to independently verify the WSJ report.
The WSJ notes that Ukraine's dependence on Starlink satellite communications, US intelligence data, and missiles for the Patriot air defense system has preserved Washington's ability to exert pressure on Kyiv. This situation has not changed even after Trump returned to the White House and suspended a large portion of the military and financial assistance allocated to Ukraine.
According to the article, Trump has in recent weeks demanded that Volodymyr Zelenskyy stop attacks on Russian oil refineries, blaming Ukraine for high global fuel prices. However, energy experts cited in the text attribute the price increases mainly to the war by the US and Israel against Iran.
Republican candidates are concerned that expensive fuel will negatively affect the results of the November 3 elections. The publication also interpreted Trump's easing of sanctions on Russian diesel fuel as an attempt to reduce costs for American farmers and other consumers.
According to two US officials who spoke to the WSJ on condition of anonymity, Trump's son-in-law and special envoy Jared Kushner called on Zelenskyy to suspend strikes on Russian oil refineries for 30 days during talks in Oslo on October 20.
The meeting was attended by Zelenskyy, US presidential special envoy Steve Witkoff, and European delegations. Kushner joined the talks via video link.
According to sources, Kushner emphasized that he and Witkoff are spending a lot of time, effort, and jet fuel on negotiations with Moscow regarding the terms for ending the war. He presented the 30-day pause as a step by which Ukraine could show its gratitude.
The day after the meeting in Oslo, Trump called SpaceX head Elon Musk and asked him to restore Starlink service for Ukraine. However, US officials interviewed by the WSJ said that the restoration of Starlink's operation and the issue of stopping strikes on oil refineries were not linked to each other.