President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine would resume attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure after the Kremlin failed to abide by President Donald Trump’s proposed end to an “energy ceasefire” agreement.
“The blockage[on the refinery attack]has been lifted. It’s over,” President Zelensky told the Financial Times after Ukraine suspended attacks on energy targets for three days at the request of the US government.
On Sunday, President Trump announced an “energy ceasefire” between Ukraine and Russia, with the aim of stopping the two countries from attacking each other’s power facilities, thereby lowering oil and diesel prices in the run-up to next month’s U.S. midterm elections.
Despite Ukraine’s suspension, Kiev officials said the country had been lifted from advance warning of incoming ballistic missiles as Starlink connectivity services were restricted across the country and military operations were disrupted. This limit applies to our sister service Starshield.
President Zelenskiy’s defense technical advisor Serhiy Beskhrestnov said on Wednesday that SpaceX had implemented speed limits on Starlink terminals on the move without notifying the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
“It is clear that this action is not a coincidence, but is related to the current political situation,” Beskrestnov said on Telegram.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says the U.S. government is ultimately responsible for restrictions on Ukraine’s military-grade Starlink network. “The StarShield system is owned and controlled by the U.S. government,” he wrote to X on Wednesday.
The White House and SpaceX did not respond to CNBC’s requests for comment.
In an interview with Piers Morgan published late Wednesday, Zelensky said he was disappointed by President Trump’s recent interactions with President Vladimir Putin, Russia’s attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, and the apparent closure of Starlink.
Asked if he felt “betrayed by what is happening,” Zelensky said, “I really do,” but stressed that Ukraine’s survival and strategic relations with the United States were more important than personal feelings.
President Zelensky said Ukraine had respected the proposed three-day energy ceasefire and refrained from attacks or retaliation, but said Russia had since launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, including about 40 ballistic missiles.
He said he had warned U.S. officials that Russia would violate the ceasefire agreement, and called the reported shutdown of Starlink an “absolutely crazy” move and inconsistent with expected behavior between the partners.
