Source: Reuters
Ukraine struck a Russian oil refinery on Thursday, after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Kyiv was “done” supporting a ceasefire on energy targets announced by US President Donald Trump and ignored by Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin played down the effect of Ukrainian long-range attacks on Russian refineries, saying they had caused “nothing particularly significant.”
Since Trump’s surprise announcement on Sunday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to halt attacks on energy, Kyiv had suspended attacks on Russian refineries, which Trump blames for raising diesel prices on global markets.
But in the days that followed, Russia rained down missile and drone strikes, including on energy targets such as power stations, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of people.
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In an interview with the Financial Times published on Thursday, Zelenskiy said Ukraine’s patience had run out.
“The block (on attacking refineries) is out. We’re done,” he told the newspaper.
Zelenskiy also criticised what he saw as Trump’s willingness to strike deals with Russia, apparent admiration for Putin and an affinity for those wielding power or considerable wealth.
“He (Trump) speaks about it openly and loudly that he loves such people and he respects such people,” the FT quoted him as saying. “Because for him people who can be leaders 20 years, 30 years, 40 years, it means they can be very strong.”