US warned Kyiv on intel over refinery strikes, FT says

U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner told Ukrainian negotiators that Washington could stop sharing intelligence with Kyiv if it kept striking Russian oil refineries, the Financial Times reported. Ukraine relies on that intelligence for its long-range strikes, which are meant to cut into the oil revenue that funds Moscow's war economy. The warning came during talks in Miami on Friday, Oct. 9. Those talks broke down after President Donald Trump announced a deal with Vladimir Putin to release Russian diesel onto world markets.turkiyetoday+1

A disputed threat

A Ukrainian official gave Axios a similar account. A U.S. official denied that any threat was made. According to that official, the envoys told Kyiv that the United States was a reliable partner supplying ammunition and intelligence, so Ukraine should not take steps that hurt American consumers. "The attacks on the refineries cause pain in Russia, but it causes pain for the US, too," the official said. The same official told Axios that Trump made the diesel deal after Zelenskyy ignored half a dozen U.S. requests to stop the strikes, and said Zelenskyy "is misreading the room".pravda+3

Ukrainian officials thought it was unfair to ask Kyiv to stop on its own while Moscow faced no similar demand. According to the Kyiv Post, Ukraine had offered to stop hitting refineries if Russia stopped attacking its power grid, but Trump wanted Ukraine to stop unconditionally. Trump said the diesel arrangement covers 300,000 to 3 million tons in the coming months. The Miami talks had been scheduled for two days but ended early.english.nv+3

Kyiv vows to keep striking

"We will burn (Russian) refineries," a senior Ukrainian official told the FT. Russian authorities said Ukrainian forces hit the Yug Rusi oil terminal in Rostov-on-Don hours later. Zelenskyy called the diesel deal "a weak decision made by strong partners." He said Russian glide bombs killed 12 people, including three children, in Zaporizhzhia on Saturday. Washington has cut off intelligence to Kyiv before: it paused sharing for eight days in March 2025, after an Oval Office clash between Trump and Zelenskyy.turkiyetoday

Strain with Seoul as well

In a separate dispute, a White House official said on Oct. 8 that Washington expects South Korea to follow decades-old alliance standards on intelligence and counterintelligence. The United States has partly limited the North Korea-related intelligence it shares with Seoul since March. The limits began after then-Unification Minister Jeong Dong-young spoke publicly about a uranium enrichment facility in Kusong. Jin Yeong-seung, chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed to lawmakers that sharing on North Korea's nuclear program remains partly restricted.news.jkn