White House-led attempts to negotiate a halt to strikes on energy infrastructure between Russia and Ukraine appeared to have collapsed, after Russian forces conducted what was described as an unprecedentedly large overnight drone operation against targets in central Ukraine, while Ukrainian forces were reported to have resumed attacks on oil refineries within Russian territory — developments that unfolded despite public statements from Donald Trump pressing both sides toward restraint.
A drone strike on an oil refinery in Russia's Ryazan region was described by Moscow as the first such attack on that facility since Trump put forward a proposal he labelled an "energy ceasefire" — an arrangement that neither side had formally agreed to accept. Trump put pressure on Volodymyr Zelenskyy to halt drone and missile strikes on Russian oil facilities, attributing a worldwide uptick in diesel prices to those operations.
Zelenskyy announced on Wednesday that strikes targeting Russian oil refineries would be reinstated, having paused those operations as a gesture toward openness to peace negotiations — adding that the restriction on refinery attacks had been lifted. Speaking to a broadcaster, Zelenskyy indicated the conversation was over. He described the gap in US intelligence-sharing as something that carried genuine risk.
Footage emerging from Ryazan captured fire burning at the refinery, with area authorities reporting that 69 drones alongside four Flamingo cruise missiles had been directed at the facility. According to the ministry, wreckage from an unmanned aircraft brought down by ground-based fire landed at the refinery and set off the blaze.
A barrage of over 360 aerial drones struck the Kirovohrad region in central Ukraine — an area that had faced less bombardment than zones nearer the front — leaving three people dead and six wounded. Regional governor Andriy Raikovych stated in an official release that the strikes had been directed at power and transport infrastructure, logistics sites, and residential buildings.
Zelenskyy reported that more than 850 Shahed drones had been launched against Ukraine during a period when the country's air-defence capacity was being held back by external constraints — a situation he linked directly to newly imposed limits on access to Starlink and Starshield mobile internet terminals. In a subsequent address, he stated that the timing of the intensified bombardment appeared to follow both the easing of sanctions pressure on Russia and coordinated efforts to push Ukraine toward concessions, and he identified sustained international backing for Ukrainian air-defence as the country's most pressing need.
Zelenskyy urged allied governments to speak plainly about the war, arguing that people throughout the United States should back efforts to protect civilians, end the fighting, and secure a durable peace rather than align with the side that launched the invasion. Those comments arrived a few days after Trump posted on Truth Social describing what he characterised as an immediate halt to strikes on energy infrastructure between Russia and Ukraine, asserting that an agreement had been reached between the two sides.
Notwithstanding Trump's assertions, aerial bombardment of Ukrainian power infrastructure continued, with hypersonic and ballistic missiles directed at key generation facilities, leaving Kyiv and other urban centres without electricity or running water for extended periods. Kyiv had announced a temporary halt to drone attacks on Russian oil refineries, framing the pause as a signal of its openness to peace talks.
The administration placed on the table a potential cutoff of both arms deliveries and battlefield intelligence sharing with Ukraine, a move that put Zelenskyy in a position of having to negotiate under pressure. Kyiv stated that alerts about incoming Russian missile attacks went unshared by the United States for a stretch of several days.
Drone operations along the front line were thrown into disarray after Ukrainian troops indicated Wednesday that their access to Starshield systems administered by the US military had been curtailed. When a reporter posed the question of whether he felt let down, Zelenskyy replied that he did, describing the situation as the loss of a valued partner.
Rejecting any throttling of the Starlink terminals, Elon Musk — who leads SpaceX, the manufacturer behind the satellite units deployed by Ukraine's armed forces — maintained that operational authority over those systems rested with the US government. Trump has previously called for Ukraine to install new leadership, and has indicated that any backing he provides should come with a measure of influence over who holds power there. Responding to Zelenskyy's declaration that Ukraine would press on until Russia is defeated, Musk posted that the fighting ought to stop and called for Zelenskyy to be removed from his position.
