Zelensky Offers Halt Russian Oil Strikes in Exchange for Patriot Missiles

Ukraine could stop striking Russian oil refineries if Washington supplies additional Patriot air defense missiles capable of intercepting ballistic missile attacks.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Bloomberg on Oct. 18 that he had proposed the arrangement in response to the US President Donald Trump’s push for Kyiv to halt attacks on Russian refineries to help curb high diesel prices.

“My latest model was: We don’t target Russian diesel, you give us missiles for Patriot systems to protect our facilities,” Zelensky said.

But he suggested Washington had sought a halt to the attacks without agreeing to provide the additional interceptors.

“But they just want us to stop attacking diesel. And if we strike that, they will disconnect us from something,” he said, without specifying what support could be withdrawn.

The urgency of Ukraine’s need for additional interceptors was underscored early Monday, Oct. 19, when Russian ballistic missiles struck Kyiv, killing a 21-year-old woman and injuring eight others.

The attack damaged homes, transport infrastructure and a medical facility. Patriot systems are among the few air defenses that Ukraine currently operates capable of intercepting ballistic missiles.

The proposal came amid an escalating dispute between Kyiv and Washington, with Zelensky accusing the US of taking steps that appeared designed to pressure Ukraine into accepting defeat in its war with Russia.

Other Topics of Interest

Zelensky Holds Talks With Trump Envoys as US President Accuses Him of Not Wanting Peace

The talks came as Trump claimed he was making “great progress” toward a peace deal, while Kyiv and Moscow traded strikes on energy infrastructure, leaving tens of thousands without power in Ukraine.

“I believe steps have been taken to convince Ukraine to capitulate,” he told Bloomberg.

Zelensky said this included deliberately slowing Starlink internet speeds used by Ukrainian forces and delaying deliveries of already scarce Patriot interceptors needed to defend cities against Russian ballistic missiles.

He stopped short of saying Washington had explicitly adopted a policy of forcing Ukraine to surrender but questioned whether US officials believed the war could be ended more quickly through Ukrainian concessions.

“I don’t want to think that our American partners believe the war could be ended sooner at Ukraine’s expense. But that’s how it looks,” he said.

Zelensky also linked the pressure over Russian fuel supplies to the approaching US midterm elections on Nov. 3.

“Now, we have dangerous days ahead of the elections,” he said.

Earlier on Sunday Zelensky spoke with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as US President Donald Trump accused him of not wanting to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The talks came as Trump claimed he was making “great progress” toward a peace deal, while Kyiv and Moscow traded strikes on energy infrastructure, leaving tens of thousands without power in Ukraine and setting an oil refinery ablaze in Russia’s Saint Petersburg.

Ukraine was ready to work “constructively” and “honestly,” he said in a statement on his official Telegram channel, adding that Kyiv expected the same approach from its European and American partners.

Trump, however, accused Zelensky of obstructing peace efforts in a Sunday post on Truth Social.

“Zelensky doesn’t care, and frankly, with all of the money that Europe is famously giving him... he doesn’t want to end this war, and probably never did,” Trump wrote.

The exchange comes amid growing concern in Kyiv and Europe over Washington’s approach to Moscow.

Trump has blocked new sanctions against Russia and struck a diesel deal with Moscow, while the Wall Street Journal reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed discussing Ukraine with Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping – but without Zelensky.

Earlier Sunday, Zelensky told NBC News that it would be a “historic mistake” for Washington to formally side with Russia. He said he hoped Trump would “change his decisions.”

Zelensky also thanked Washington for resuming intelligence sharing after a suspension that had left Ukraine more vulnerable to Russian attacks.

Meanwhile, Zelensky accused Russia of violating Trump’s proposed energy ceasefire 76 times, warning that Moscow was seeking to deprive Ukrainians of electricity and heating ahead of winter.

Ukraine also launched a major drone attack on Saint Petersburg late Sunday, striking an oil refinery and other targets, according to Russian officials. One person was killed, Moscow said.

Alexander Drozdenko, governor of Russia’s Leningrad region, said air defenses had shot down 144 Ukrainian drones. Russian state media described the raid as the largest attack on Saint Petersburg since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.