In an interview with the Financial Times, reported by Reuters on 15 October, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the end of a three-day pause in strikes on Russian oil refining infrastructure. According to him, Ukraine had agreed to the restrictions at the request of the US, but had decided not to extend them as Russia continued its attacks on Ukrainian cities and the energy sector.
Briefly about the main points
- Zelenskyy stated that the three-day pause in strikes on Russia’s energy infrastructure had come to an end.
- The President attributed this decision to the fact that, in his words, Russia had continued its attacks on Ukraine.
- Trump denied that the exchange of intelligence with Ukraine had ceased.
- Kyiv may consider a further pause in exchange for additional Patriot interceptor missiles.
What Zelenskyy said about the pause
Zelensky told the Financial Times that Ukraine had refrained from carrying out energy strikes for three days, in line with Washington’s wishes. The President explained his position by stating that, in his view, Russia had not ceased its attacks on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure. He also stated that over 100 people had been killed in the past week as a result of Russian attacks; this figure is an estimate given by Zelenskyy in an interview.
On 12 October, the President’s Office reported that Zelenskyy had spoken, in particular, about the attack on power station in Kharkiv. At the time, he stated that an energy truce could only work if the US exerted real pressure on Russia.
Fire at the Ryazan Oil Refinery
On 15 October, Reuters, citing the governor of the Ryazan Region, Pavlo Malkov reported a fire at the Ryazan oil refinery during a large-scale drone attack. According to the agency, the emergency services were at the scene, whilst the authorities were assessing the material damage.
The plant is owned by Rosneft and supplies fuel to Moscow. In the quote available, Malkov confirmed that a fire had broken out during the drone attack, but did not hold Ukraine responsible for it.
Disagreements between Kyiv and Washington
Zelenskyy has criticised the US decision regarding Russian diesel. The US Treasury has issued a temporary licence covering specific shipments of diesel fuel loaded onto tankers as of 9 October, which will remain in force until April 2027. This is an exemption for the specified transactions, not a general lifting of sanctions against Russia.
The President of Ukraine linked this decision to the risk of Russia generating additional revenue during the war. On 12 October, he compared potential Russian exports of 300,000–500,000 tonnes of diesel per month with global consumption of 120 million tonnes per month; this was his assessment of the economic rationale behind the agreement.
In an interview with the FT, Zelenskyy also stated that the Ukrainian side had not received advance warning of certain launches of Russian ballistic missiles, and had previously heard reports of possible restrictions on intelligence support due to attacks on Russia’s energy sector. Donald Trump publicly denied that the exchange of intelligence with Ukraine had been suspended.
The President also raised the issue of restrictions on the Starshield military system. Reuters reported the Ukrainian side’s position that the system’s slowdown was hampering operations; Elon Musk On 14 October, he stated that Starshield is owned and controlled by the US government, which determines the conditions for its use.
Under what circumstances might there be another pause?
Zelenskyy has not ruled out a further temporary suspension of strikes on Russian energy infrastructure. According to him, Ukraine might consider this even if Russia were to continue its attacks, provided the US supplies additional interceptor missiles for the systems Patriot.
The President described such assistance as the minimum acceptable condition for strengthening the defence of cities and critical infrastructure. This refers to Kyiv’s tentative position, rather than an agreement reached with the US or a missile supply that has already been approved.
