Ukraine will return to attack Russian refineries without the support in defense of the United States

BarcelonaUkraine raises the stakes against Donald Trump. After the US president had agreed with Vladimir Putin to purchase 300,000 tons of diesel from him to try to lower the price and announce an "immediate" truce from both sides against energy infrastructure, Kyiv has realized that, once again, the White House is playing in favor of the Kremlin and that it cannot trust Washington. Not only has Russia not stopped the attacks, but, in addition, President Volodymyr Zelensky has denounced in the last few hours the blackout of intelligence information from the United States, which makes the task of its air defenses to stop Russian ballistic missiles and drones much more difficult.

At the same time, also according to the Ukrainian leader, the United States may have reduced the speed of the communication systems of Ukrainian troops with the Starlink satellites, the network of tycoon Elon Musk. But the latter, through X, last night pointed out that the United States government could be behind the restrictions on the speed at which some Ukrainian weapons can move.

Starlink is an essential tool for Kyiv to be able to guide drones towards Russian targets and also protect its own airspace. Ukraine reported on Tuesday that some new unexpected speed limits were hindering its operations on the battlefield. And this Wednesday, in an emergency visit to Downing Street, Zelensky has denounced it again. In this sense, in fact, Musk has explained that Starshield, the sister service of Starlink designed for military use, is under the control of the United States government, and that "any speed or usage limit is decided by the American military and, ultimately, by the President of the United States".

Faced with what is the umpteenth slap in the face from the White House to Kyiv, in a defiant tone Zelensky has announced the resumption of attacks in various interviews with British media. In one of them, which the Financial Times publishes this Thursday, he asserts: "The blockade [of attacks against refineries] is over. Enough is enough!" The Ukrainian president has also lashed out at Washington's eagerness to close trade deals with Moscow, such as the aforementioned diesel one, and President Trump's apparent admiration for his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. Zelensky went further, saying that Trump feels an instinctive affinity for autocrats and the ultra-rich. "[Trump] Says openly and bluntly that he loves these kinds of people and respects them. Because, for him, that someone can be a leader for 20, 30 or 40 years means they must be very strong", it reads.

Since last weekend, Washington has intensified pressure on Kyiv to stop hitting Russian refineries. Three weeks before the midterm legislative elections, in which the Republicans could suffer a significant setback, Trump is trying to alleviate the rise in fuel prices caused by his war in Ukraine, the effects of which are affecting the pockets of his MAGA base.

Support in Europe

With little room for maneuvering, Zelensky visited London this Wednesday, and arrives in Brussels this Thursday, where he will try to mobilize maximum European support, after Washington has left him in the lurch once again. The situation between Washington and Kyiv is once again so tense that yesterday, in the British Parliament, the premier Andy Burnham stated: "What I have to do in my role is try to rebuild bridges so that support is recovered".

In his interview with the Financial Times, the Ukrainian president explained that he had suspended attacks against energy facilities for three days to satisfy the demands of the United States. Meanwhile, Moscow continued to bomb Ukrainian energy infrastructure and kill civilians: more than 100 during the last week. Zelensky explained that the Ukrainian military officials received a warning from their American counterparts: "If you do not stop the attacks against energy facilities, we will block intelligence information", although later the interruption was presented in Kyiv as a technical failure. "It was not a technical problem, it was a deliberate decision", Zelensky retorted.

The deterioration of relations between Kyiv and Washington is the most serious crisis since Trump and his top advisors scolded Zelensky in the Oval Office in February of last year. Zelensky has said that he would only accept if, in return, he received more American-made Patriot interceptor missiles. He has assured that this is the "minimum" he is asking for and has added that, when he requested more air defense systems, the American response was to weaken the Starlink service.

With his words, Zelensky is pressuring European leaders before this Thursday's meeting in Brussels, and asserts that stopping attacks against energy facilities could also end up encouraging the United States and Russia to close more deals, which would potentially provide more money for Putin's war machine. "The question will be when the next deal will arrive. Perhaps it will be about gas. It will surely be about gas".