Ukraine Strikes Russian Refinery After Trump-Backed Truce Collapses

Ukraine has resumed drone and missile strikes on Russian oil facilities after a brief pause triggered by Donald Trump's unilateral announcement of an energy ceasefire last weekend. The move comes amid growing friction between Kyiv and Washington, with Ukrainian officials voicing concerns that the United States has curtailed critical intelligence sharing on Russian missile launches.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared on Thursday that Kyiv was finished with the proposed truce after Moscow continued targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Hours later, Ukrainian forces struck a refinery in Russia's Ryazan region, about 180 kilometers south of Moscow. Russian defense officials confirmed the attack, stating that air defenses intercepted most incoming drones and missiles but that debris caused a fire at the site. A senior Ukrainian official verified the strike took place overnight.

Trump's announcement, posted on social media without prior coordination with either Kyiv or Moscow, called for a halt to attacks on energy targets. Ukraine initially suspended its refinery strikes in response, but Russian forces kept hitting Ukrainian power plants and other sites. The lack of reciprocity has deepened distrust in Washington, with Zelenskyy telling the Financial Times that the United States is weakening Ukraine's battlefield position by withholding intelligence data from NATO satellites that provide early warnings of incoming ballistic missiles.

Those satellite detections normally give Ukrainian civilians several minutes to seek shelter. Ground-based radars offer far less notice. Zelenskyy has said the missing data directly endangers lives during intensified Russian barrages that have killed at least 15 people in recent days. Trump has denied ordering any reduction in intelligence support, yet Ukrainian observers and military sources report the warnings stopped arriving shortly after the ceasefire announcement.

The United States has also pressed Ukraine to stop hitting Russian refineries, arguing that a six-month suspension of sanctions on Russian diesel exports would help lower global fuel prices. The deal would allow Russia to sell 1.8 million tonnes of diesel at market rates, providing a direct economic boost to Moscow while the war continues. Zelenskyy has rejected the logic, noting that Ukraine's survival depends on maintaining pressure on Russian energy supplies that fund its military operations.

Allied governments have reacted with caution. British officials hosted Zelenskyy in London this week and pledged increased support, while European diplomats privately describe the American approach as erratic and disconnected from conditions on the ground. Russian forces have shown no sign of halting their campaign, and Ukrainian commanders say they will continue targeting refineries to degrade Moscow's war economy.

The sequence has revived questions about the consistency of Trump's posture toward Russia. His administration has repeatedly taken steps that ease economic pressure on Moscow while demanding concessions from Kyiv, even as Russian strikes on civilian infrastructure persist. Ukrainian leaders have not publicly accused Washington of deliberate sabotage, but the pattern of announcements made without consultation, followed by one-sided demands, has left Kyiv navigating a rapidly shifting American position with little advance notice.

For now, Ukraine's military has returned to operations it considers essential for its defense. The Ryazan strike signals that Kyiv will not accept a ceasefire that leaves its energy grid vulnerable while Russia continues to receive sanctions relief.