A group of U.S. congressmen has proposed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky halt strikes on Russian oil refineries in exchange for an expanded Starlink coverage zone for Ukraine’s armed forces, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The lawmakers raised the idea at a meeting in Kyiv last Friday. Under the plan, the U.S. would extend the Starlink coverage zone 300 kilometers (186 miles) into Russian territory in exchange for Ukraine halting the strikes, allowing Ukraine’s armed forces to destroy Russian launch systems.
Zelensky signaled he was willing to accept the proposal and halt strikes on Russian oil refineries for 100 days, WSJ reported.
The newspaper did not say whether the congressmen were acting as envoys for U.S. President Donald Trump or were advancing the proposal on their own initiative.
Trump has publicly demanded for several weeks that Ukraine halt strikes on Russian oil refineries. In mid-October, he said Moscow and Kyiv had agreed to an “energy truce,” meaning a mutual halt to attacks on oil refineries.
Ukraine did refrain from striking Russian oil refineries for several days, Kyiv said, but on October 15, Zelensky announced that the strikes would resume because Russia, he said, had continued to attack Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Moscow claimed there had never actually been a moratorium on Kyiv’s part.
Starlink service is currently limited to Ukraine’s internationally recognized territory. The Atlantic reported in August that former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov had unofficially tried to persuade SpaceX owner Elon Musk to expand Starlink’s coverage zone for Ukraine’s armed forces so Ukraine could strike Russian missile launch systems. Musk refused, warning of the risks of escalation, according to the magazine.
Ukrainian authorities are looking for ways to strike Russian missile launch systems amid a critical shortage of Patriot missiles, which has left Ukraine effectively defenseless against Russian ballistic attacks. Zelensky, who announced yesterday that strikes on oil refineries would resume, stressed that he is willing to soften his position if allies supply Kyiv with more Patriot missiles.
War in photographs. Kharkiv
On the morning of October 16, Russian drones attacked an outdoor market in Kharkiv. Two vendors — a 71-year-old woman and a 58-year-old man — were killed and 13 other people were injured, authorities said.
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Cover photo: Florian Gaertner / Photothek / Getty Images