Ukrainian strikes set an oil export terminal and a depot ablaze in St. Petersburg on Sunday as Kyiv launched more than 1,000 drones at Russia in one of its largest aerial attacks of the war.
The strikes came as tensions between Kyiv and Washington deepened, with US President Donald Trump criticizing Kyiv’s attacks on Russian oil infrastructure and the prospect of further US sanctions against Moscow still uncertain.
Trump said Sunday that he decided to hold off on implementing new sanctions on Russia because he doesn’t “want to do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table.”
In a social media post, the US president defended his Friday order to issue a waiver to prevent new sanctions from being placed on Moscow from bipartisan criticism that he was favoring Russian President Vladimir Putin’s interests over those of Ukraine. Trump said he believed new sanctions would undermine negotiations to bring about a diplomatic end to the war in Ukraine.
“I can sign it later, or any time that I want!” Trump added of the sanctions.
Trump also lashed out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has been critical of Trump’s recent outreach to Putin, for launching strikes on Russian energy infrastructure during the conflict, claiming Zelensky “doesn’t want to end this war.”
Zelensky: Waiving sanctions strengthens Russia
Speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press” earlier on Sunday, Zelensky said waiving sanctions against Russia would strengthen Putin’s war effort. He also said US-Ukraine intelligence sharing had resumed after being “blocked for some period of time.”
Zelensky said that while he trusted Trump, siding with Moscow would be a tragedy and a “historic mistake” for Washington.
“People want to forget what’s going on. But we can’t give this possibility to forget, or to change reality, or to change the truth,” Zelensky said. “We can’t compare me and Putin. He’s (an) aggressor. He occupied us. He killed adults and children, his soldiers. He’s a terrorist. And that’s why I hope that President Trump will be very clear with this position.”
Later Sunday, Zelensky said on social media that he had spoken with US presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner about the results of an Oct. 9 meeting between US and Ukrainian negotiating teams in Miami, as well as “next steps in diplomacy.”
Two killed as Russia and Ukraine trade blows
One person was killed and five others were wounded in the St. Petersburg attack, which sparked fires at the Petersburg Oil Terminal and the city’s Ruchi oil depot, local Gov. Alexander Beglov said. A logistics center belonging to Russian retailer Ozon and a data center operated by Russian tech giant VK were also targeted, the companies confirmed.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Sunday that its forces had destroyed 1,015 Ukrainian drones over 15 Russian regions, the annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea and the Black Sea.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian state news agency Tass that Kyiv was “resisting” Moscow’s invasion but could not “change the current course of events.”
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, a woman was killed and a 6-year-old girl was among at least two other people wounded in two Russian attacks on the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, local officials said Sunday.
Russia continues energy attacks, Kyiv says
Trump announced on Oct. 11 that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an “energy ceasefire” in the 4½-year-old war, but offered no details. Kyiv reported Russian attacks on energy sites continued after Trump’s announcement, and on Thursday said it had resumed strikes on Russian oil facilities after a three-day pause.
Zelensky wrote on X on Sunday that Russia had attacked Ukraine’s energy, oil and gas sectors 76 times in the week since Trump’s announcement. The Ukrainian government initially said it was observing the ceasefire.
Energy facilities in four Ukrainian regions were struck overnight, leaving tens of thousands of families without power, he said, accusing Russia of trying to cause a blackout.
“America should see that Russia is not taking any reciprocal steps in response to sanctions relief or agreements. On the contrary, they take every signal of an opportunity to make money as proof that their bet on war is paying off and they can keep fighting,” the Ukrainian president wrote.
Ukraine apology to Lithuania over drone alert
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry apologized on Sunday after a drone entered Lithuania’s airspace, prompting authorities to issue an air raid warning.
Russian electronic warfare may have diverted the drone during a Ukrainian operation against legitimate military targets in Russia, ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said in a statement.
Lithuanian authorities urged residents in two northern counties along the Latvian border to take cover early Sunday because of a possible drone incursion, public broadcaster LRT reported.
A drone entered the northern Pasvalys region and damaged a moving car, LRT said, citing Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Center. No injuries were reported.