U.S. pressures Ukraine over strikes on Russian refineries as Trump administration floats intelligence cutoff
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The Trump administration has threatened to curb intelligence sharing with Ukraine unless Kyiv stops long-range drone attacks on Russian oil facilities, while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected claims that recent U.S. policy changes would meaningfully lower fuel prices and blamed global energy shocks on the Strait of Hormuz.
The Trump administration warned Ukraine it could reduce intelligence sharing if Ukrainian forces do not cease long-range drone strikes targeting Russian oil refineries, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with NPR. Zelenskyy also said the administration’s recent move to ease sanctions on Russian diesel is unlikely to lower fuel prices in the United States, adding that the higher global energy costs are largely due to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.
"Mostly people in the world know why their prices on any kind of energy, including diesel, raised up, why they increased. Because of Hormuz. Yes. Because of blocking the Strait of Hormuz," Zelenskyy told NPR.
The discussion comes as the war in Ukraine approaches its fifth year and the White House intensifies diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. President Trump announced on his social-media platform that Russia and Ukraine had reached a partial cease-fire on attacks against each other’s energy infrastructure, a claim that surprised Kyiv officials.
"We are helping them and we are sharing intel, we want the war to end," President Trump told reporters when asked about intelligence cooperation.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine will continue striking Russian energy and logistics targets to diminish the Kremlin’s war-fighting capacity, but will not halt those operations unless Russia stops attacks on Ukrainian energy sites.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated that contacts regarding the alleged energy truce were ongoing when asked by reporters.
U.S. diesel prices have risen sharply, averaging $6.27 per gallon, a factor influencing domestic political discussions ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.