Overview
- Ukraine announced Thursday that it will stop following the U.S.-declared pause and has resumed strikes on Russian oil refineries, with Kyiv saying the pause is now “lifted.”
- President Trump has promoted a diesel-import deal with Russia and urged an energy-target pause to ease U.S. fuel prices, a policy move Kyiv calls a betrayal that would channel money to Moscow.
- Ukrainian officials reported that the U.S.-government-controlled Starshield service was throttled to about 100 miles (160 km) per hour, which they say caused temporary drone-control drops and mission failures.
- Russia reported fires and damage at refineries in Ryazan and Saratov after the renewed strikes, while several EU leaders, including Kaja Kallas, publicly defended Ukraine’s targeting as aimed at cutting Moscow’s war revenue.
- The row has strained Western unity by raising questions about U.S. intelligence sharing and operational support, increasing battlefield risk for Ukrainian civilians and forcing Kyiv to lean more on European partners for warnings and aid.