Kyiv, UkraineReuters —
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Tuesday that Ukraine received no warning from Western countries before the Russian missile attack on the capital, but President Donald Trump said Washington was still sharing intelligence despite pressure on Kyiv to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries.
Russia did not hit Ukraine’s energy targets overnight for the first time since President Trump’s abrupt “energy ceasefire” announcement on Sunday, but it did hit transport and logistics with ballistic missiles and drones.
Reuters and other media reported that U.S. officials have threatened to cut off intelligence sharing and arms sales to Ukraine unless it stops attacking Russian oil refineries. Experts and officials say Kiev relies heavily on U.S. intelligence for early warning of missile attacks.
President Trump told reporters on Tuesday that the United States continues to share intelligence with Ukraine and work with both Kiev and Russia to end the war. “We are supporting them and sharing information,” he said.
Asked whether Russia had violated the ceasefire, Trump said: “We’ll let you know about that later.”
Asked whether Russia could use proceeds from the diesel deal to buy more bombs, Trump dodged the question. “It’s a diesel deal and it’s not for us. It’s what’s released to the world. It’s not what’s released to us.”
Zelenskiy said Ukraine has not targeted Russian refineries since President Trump’s announcement on Sunday.
He said Kiev had not received the usual warning from allies about ballistic missile launches before the “particularly despicable” attack on Kiev, in which five missiles hit civilian infrastructure overnight.
“Information about Russian ballistic missile launches can help save lives,” President Zelenskiy said on X. “This is one of the most important issues.” He stopped short of linking the lack of warning to U.S. threats.
Air alerts were sounded in Kiev on Monday night, after several explosions had already struck the city.
Foreign Minister Andriy Sibikha said Ukraine was still receiving U.S. military intelligence and blamed the delay on the type of weapons used by Russia.
Kiev sees attacks on Russian refineries as one of the few ways to reduce Russia’s combat capabilities as Ukraine fights a larger, richer and better-equipped enemy.
But President Trump has repeatedly blamed this year’s spike in U.S. fuel prices on the attack on Ukraine (which prompted the Russian government to halt diesel exports), a sore point for Republicans ahead of midterm congressional elections in three weeks.
Most analysts say the US war with Iran had a far greater impact on price increases.
Russia attacked six energy facilities in Ukraine on Monday. It is unclear whether Moscow intentionally bypassed energy infrastructure overnight and on Tuesday.
Asked about the energy ceasefire, a Kremlin spokesman said only that contacts were ongoing, without providing further details.
In a video address posted on X overnight, Zelenskiy said he had sent proposals to U.S. officials on how to resolve the dispute, with an eye toward new talks with U.S. leaders Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in the coming days.
He said Ukraine supports President Trump’s announcement of an energy ceasefire as long as Russia complies.
“We need to strive for peace and find ways to take appropriate action. Ukraine is ready for talks,” he said.
Earlier, President Zelenskiy reiterated Ukraine’s position, said Kiev was preparing reciprocal measures to de-escalate tensions and called on partners to put pressure on Russia.
When Ukrainian delegates met in the United States last week, Mr. Witkoff and Mr. Kushner told them that the deal allowing Russian diesel exports was part of an effort to draw Russia back into negotiations, according to people familiar with the talks.
Russian airstrikes also killed four people in Ukraine’s second city, Kharkiv, and injured dozens across Ukraine, Ukrainian officials said.
Fabian Hofmann, a missile expert at the Norwegian Defense Research Institute, said Ukraine’s European allies have “very limited” ability to replace U.S. early warning information about Russian missile attacks.
“Ukraine relies on so-called space infrared systems deployed by the United States. And the American system is truly second to none, and only the United States can provide it,” he said.
Sibiha said the U.S. call for a halt to attacks on Russian oil refineries showed how Ukraine’s position had strengthened, alluding to Trump’s remark to Zelenskiy in a tense Oval Office meeting last year that he “doesn’t have any cards.”
“In less than two years, we went from ‘no cards’ to ‘no cards’, which is an accomplishment,” Sibiha said.
