Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, announced on Thursday that his country's military has resumed attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. He made this announcement in an interview with the Financial Times of London, stating: "The restrictions [on attacks on energy infrastructure] have been lifted. We are done."
Attacks on Russian Oil Refineries
This announcement came after Russia reported Ukraine's attacks on oil refineries in the cities of Ryazan and Saratov. Following these attacks, fires have occurred in these areas. Previously, Ukraine had refrained from attacks due to a proposal for an "energy ceasefire" from Donald Trump, the President of the United States.
Kremlin's Reaction to Ukraine's Attacks
Meanwhile, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, praised the United States' efforts to initiate a peace process and stated that with the resumption of attacks, Ukraine is facing a serious contradiction with the U.S. peace efforts. However, Russia continues its attacks on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure. For example, on Wednesday, Russian attacks cut off electricity to 600,000 Ukrainian citizens.
Zelensky also criticized the lack of information regarding U.S. military intelligence, stating that Ukrainian military leaders have been warned that they will not receive information from the United States if the Trump ceasefire is not adhered to.
International Pressures and Zelensky's Requests
The President of Ukraine emphasized that if the United States provides Patriot air defense systems to counter Russian ballistic missiles and drones, he is ready to end attacks on energy infrastructure again. Zelensky also referred to the issue of access to SpaceX Starlink satellite services, stating that this is not a technical problem but rather a matter of will affecting it.
Furthermore, Zelensky pointed to Trump's recent decision to lift oil sanctions against Russia, stating that this action allows Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, to continue his attacks on Ukraine.
Zelensky's remarks come as Trump has faced severe criticism for his agreement with Russia. Giorgia Meloni, the Prime Minister of Italy, described the U.S. decision to purchase Russian diesel as "a very risky decision" and believes that this action only exacerbates the crisis.
