Zelenskyy defies Trump, vows to keep striking Russian oil

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 3 Nov, 14:34 · Archive

Zelenskyy told Fox News Ukraine will continue attacking Russian oil refineries unless the US provides Patriot missiles to protect its energy infrastructure.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected the Trump administration's pressure to cease attacks on Russian oil refineries. In an interview with Fox News in Kyiv, Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine's military response 'must be painful' and said Ukraine would continue striking Russian energy facilities unless Russia stopped attacking Ukrainian infrastructure. He indicated that discussions had taken place with the Trump administration about targeting oil facilities, which Trump has blamed for high US gas prices.

Russia has conducted near-daily strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, causing widespread power outages as winter approaches. Zelenskyy argued that without Ukrainian retaliation against Russian oil facilities, Moscow would intensify its attacks. He suggested Ukraine might reconsider further strikes if the United States provided additional Patriot missile interceptors to protect Ukrainian airspace.

Tensions between Washington and Kyiv have escalated in recent weeks. Trump has announced a deal to import millions of tons of Russian diesel to the United States, and he unilaterally declared an energy ceasefire that has not stopped Russian attacks. HuffPost reports that Zelenskyy has described his relationship with Trump as 'emotional' when it should be 'pragmatic', and warned that if Ukraine is not strengthened, Putin may advance further into Europe and NATO countries.

How it is being reported

• Zelensky steps up attacks on Russian oil refineries as he gives up on TrumpUkrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky shelves attempts to placate Trump, green-lighting Russian energy blitzes and pointing out global diesel hikes are not being imposed by KyivThe Mirror · 3 Nov, 16:50
• Zelenskyy Only Has 1 Word To Describe His Tumultuous Relationship With TrumpUkrainian president Volodmyr Zelenskyy has described his eventful relationship with Donald Trump as “emotional”. The US president has all-but demolished his alliance with Ukraine in recent weeks by unveiling a sanctions-busting diesel deal with Russia , effectively giving Vladimir Putin’s war machine a boost. The move unpicked years of united Western efforts to punish Putin for invading Ukraine back in 2022. Trump also unilaterally declared an energy ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia, and then ignored Putin’s ongoing attacks. Kyiv reported a brief disruption to the intelligence shared…HuffPost UK · 3 Nov, 14:17
• Ukraine's Zelenskyy on defying US in attacking Russian oil: 'Our response must be painful'Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Fox News Ukraine will keep striking Russian oil refineries unless Trump delivers Patriot missiles to shield energy infrastructure.Fox News · 3 Nov, 13:17

In this story: Volodymyr Zelenskyy · Donald Trump · Vladimir Putin · Ukraine · Russia · United States

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log