Zelenskyy Says “We’re Done” as Ukraine Resumes Strikes on Russian Refineries

Ceasefire ends, strikes resume

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday, “The block [on energy infrastructure attacks] is out. We’re done,” as he announced that military strikes on Russian energy infrastructure would resume despite US President Donald Trump’s insistence that such attacks stop.

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Trump told Newsmax that Ukraine’s renewed strikes on Russian oil refineries were “a disgrace,” and he linked the attacks to higher global energy prices.

Zelenskyy said Russia was not showing signs that it wanted the war to end, and he told the EU summit in Brussels that “That’s why we have to prepare for the winter.”

Ursula von der Leyen told Zelenskyy before the summit began that “Russia is trying everything to destroy the energy and water infrastructure,” while the BBC said Zelenskyy had paused the attacks for three days at Trump’s request for a ceasefire on energy targets.

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The BBC also reported that deadly attacks continued overnight, including a Russian drone strike in Kharkiv and power outages in Volyn, where local governors said some 270,000 households were without power.

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Trump, Zelensky, and EU talks

Trump renewed his sharp criticism of Zelensky, saying the Ukrainian leader is “more difficult to deal with than [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” and he added that “As you know, Putin hates Zelensky, and Zelensky hates Putin.” Zelenskyy thanked “real leaders” for their support as he arrived at an EU summit in Brussels, and CNN quoted him saying, “I'm so thankful that we have such huge support from EU Council, Commission and leaders, real leaders, so that they stay with us from the very beginning of this war.” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters that sanctions on Russia “have to increase,” and she said the EU had supported Trump’s energy ceasefire but “we've seen that Russia did not respect it, not a single minute.”

António Costa told reporters, “this is no time to withdraw support” and “no time to relieve Russian sanctions,” as the BBC described tensions between Washington and Kyiv over the US-Russia diesel deal and restrictions on Ukraine’s satellite communications. Zelenskyy said his country wants the war to end “as quick as possible,” but he argued that Russia was not matching that goal, so he framed a “winter package” as both energy and defence and funding.

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Funding, intelligence, and winter risk

EU leaders prepared to rally around Zelenskyy at a summit on Friday as fears grew that the US could pull back intelligence sharing and weapons support from Kyiv, according to The Globe and Mail. The Globe and Mail said Zelensky told Reuters earlier this month that Ukraine agreed to a plan with European partners to close a US$27-billion deficit in its military spending for this year, while Finance Minister Sergii Marchenko said Ukraine still faced an unfunded budget gap for next year of $32.6-billion. The Globe and Mail also quoted Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever saying Zelensky “will probably look everybody straight in the eye and say, thank you for the $90-billion, but that money is going to run out because a war is a very costly thing.”

NBC News reported that Ukrainian Chargé d’Affaires Denys Sienik said, “Speed is critical for logistics and for intercepting the jet-powered Shahed drones,” after Zelenskyy accused the US of betraying Kyiv with a “dangerous” withdrawal of support. NBC News added that Zelenskyy said the “withdrawal of the intelligence and the simultaneous weakening of Starlink satellite internet were ‘dangerous’ for Ukraine,” as he warned that fighting without the US would be “very difficult.”

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