U.S. White House-led energy truce collapses ... Russia and Ukraine resume attacks on energy facilities

[Financial News] Efforts led by the U.S. White House to broker an “energy truce” between Russia and Ukraine have effectively collapsed. As Russia launched its largest-ever drone attack on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and central regions, Ukraine also resumed strikes on Russian oil refineries, defying a warning from U.S. President Donald Trump.
According to the British daily The Guardian and other foreign media on the 15th (local time), Ukrainian forces struck an oil refinery in the Ryazan region. It was Ukraine’s first attack on a Russian refinery since the “energy truce” that President Trump had unilaterally declared without prior agreement between the two countries. Trump had previously claimed that Ukraine’s attacks on refineries were responsible for rising global diesel prices and called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to halt the strikes.
In an interview with the British business daily the Financial Times (FT) that day, President Zelenskyy said, “We temporarily halted attacks on oil refineries to show our willingness to engage in peace talks, but those restrictions are over now.” The Ukrainian military also announced that, in addition to the Ryazan refinery, it had attacked an air base in Russia’s Voronezh region with Neptune cruise missiles, destroying four Su-34 fighter-bombers and damaging two others.
Russian forces also retaliated. More than 360 Russian drones flew into Ukraine’s central Kirovohrad region; at least three people were killed and six injured, and residential areas and key infrastructure were destroyed. President Zelenskyy claimed that Russia had carried out airstrikes across the country using more than 850 Shahed drones.
The fighting is spreading to civilian vessels in the Black Sea. At the mouth of the Danube, in Romanian territorial waters, two chemical tankers flying the flags of neutral countries caught fire after being attacked by Russian drones. Romanian President Nicușor Dan called for an immediate halt, saying, “It is absolutely unacceptable for merchant ships to be attacked and sailors to be killed or go missing near the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria.”
The U.S. White House has reportedly been pressuring Ukraine by threatening to suspend its weapons assistance program and halt military intelligence sharing.
Ukrainian forces said they had received no advance warning from the United States about Russian missile attacks this week. They also reported that restricted access on the front lines to “Starshield,” the military Starlink program controlled by the U.S. military, had disrupted drone operations. A bipartisan group of U.S. senators called on the Department of Defense to investigate whether the Trump administration had deliberately restricted satellite and intelligence services.
British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said he had received firm assurances from U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that access to Starlink had been restored. However, the political rift between the United States and Ukraine appears unlikely to be bridged easily.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk denied allegations that Starlink access had been cut off, but also backed President Trump’s position by posting on social media, “It’s time for Zelenskyy to step down.”
President Trump has recently expressed his displeasure on social media, including by talking about replacing President Zelenskyy. In an interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan, Zelenskyy was asked whether he felt betrayed and replied, “It’s sad that we are losing a strong partner.”
President Zelenskyy’s decision carries significant political risks. The possibility that President Trump could retaliate by completely cutting off aid to Ukraine cannot be ruled out. Mariya Zolkina, an analyst at a Ukrainian think tank, said, “With the previous cautious approach no longer working, Zelenskyy has made a high-stakes move,” adding, “He has effectively sent the United States a clear message that Ukraine will continue striking refineries.”
[email protected] Yoon Jae-jun Reporter