US pushes Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries, warns of intelligence-sharing risk
US President Donald Trump is pressing Ukraine to stop long-range strikes on Russian oil refineries, fearing further rises in US fuel prices ahead of November midterm elections. During talks in Miami, US representatives warned that continued strikes could jeopardize American intelligence sharing with Ukraine, prompting the Ukrainian delegation to cut the talks short on Friday. The pressure comes alongside a separate US-Russia deal to restore Russian diesel exports to global markets.
Key points
- US President Donald Trump is pressing Ukraine to stop striking Russian oil refineries to contain rising US fuel prices ahead of the November midterm elections.
- During talks in Miami, US representatives warned that continued strikes could jeopardize US intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
- The US delegation in Miami was led by Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witcoff.
- On Friday, the Ukrainian delegation cut short its talks with US envoys in Miami after Trump reached an agreement with Putin on Russian diesel exports.
- The US-Russia deal envisions the return of Russian diesel to the global market; on Saturday Russia partially eased export restrictions, allowing 500,000 metric tons onto international markets.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed a diesel deal under which Ukraine would halt strikes on Russian diesel infrastructure in exchange for US guarantees protecting Ukraine's energy system.
- Ukraine remains dependent on US weapons and intelligence, though European NATO allies finance a significant share of military aid purchases.
Why it matters
US pressure to halt refinery strikes directly constrains Ukraine's wartime strategy and its main lever against Russia's energy sector, while a parallel US-Russia deal on Russian diesel reshapes global energy flows. The reported warning that intelligence sharing could be jeopardized strikes at a critical element of Ukraine's military capability. Ukraine's continued reliance on US weapons and intelligence, even as European NATO allies finance a significant share of purchases, leaves it exposed to shifts in US policy shaped by the November midterm elections.
What happened
US President Donald Trump is pressing Ukraine to stop long-range strikes on Russian oil refineries, driven by concerns that further attacks could push US fuel prices higher ahead of the November midterm Congressional elections. During talks in Miami, US representatives warned the Ukrainian side that continued strikes could jeopardize American intelligence sharing with Ukraine. The US delegation was led by Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witcoff. On Friday the Ukrainian delegation cut the Miami talks short, reportedly after Trump reached an agreement with Putin on Russian diesel exports. The US-Russia deal envisions the return of Russian diesel to the global market; on Saturday Russia partially eased its export restrictions, allowing 500,000 metric tons of diesel fuel onto international markets. Rising diesel prices have already increased costs for American farmers and transport companies. President Volodymyr Zelensky separately proposed a diesel deal to the US under which Ukraine would halt strikes on Russian diesel infrastructure in exchange for US guarantees protecting Ukraine's energy system. Several sources read the US warning as a veiled threat to halt the transfer of intelligence to Ukraine.
Background
Ukrainian long-range drone strikes on Russian oil refineries have been expanding for years and have forced Russia to increase subsidies to oil companies and impose a diesel export ban to protect its domestic fuel market; Russia partially eased that ban on Saturday, allowing 500,000 metric tons onto international markets. Ukraine remains dependent on US weapons and intelligence, even though European NATO allies finance a significant share of military aid purchases. Ukraine faces an acute shortage of interceptor missiles for Patriot air-defense systems used against Russian ballistic missiles. Fiona Hill, a former senior director for Russia on the US National Security Council under Trump's first term and now a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, warned that the current US criticism of the Ukrainian president could carry more dangerous political consequences for Ukraine than in the past.