Zelenskyy says US warned of intel cutoff over refinery strikes

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told NPR on Tuesday, Oct. 13, that the Trump administration had warned it could cut off intelligence-sharing with Ukraine unless Kyiv stopped long-range drone strikes on oil refineries inside Russia. He said his generals were told they could lose access to U.S. weapons and intelligence, but that the cutoff "hasn't happened yet".npr+1

His comments came hours after he said Ukraine got no early warning from its partners before five Russian ballistic missiles hit civilian infrastructure in Kyiv overnight. That raised questions about whether Washington had already pulled back. Asked Tuesday whether the U.S. had stopped sharing intelligence, President Trump told reporters: "We are helping them and we are sharing intel, we want the war to end".pbs+2

A missed warning, and competing explanations

"Unfortunately, we received no early warning from our partners about this strike," Zelenskyy wrote on X, adding that such intelligence "helps save lives". He did not say which partners he meant. Ukraine's Air Force said Russia fired five Iskander-M/S-400 missiles from the Bryansk region.haberintelifi.aa+1

Speaking at the Warsaw Security Forum, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said intelligence cooperation with the United States was continuing. He said the air raid alert was delayed "because of special type of the weaponry" Russia used. A senior Ukrainian official told the Associated Press the missed warning was described as a "failure," possibly caused by conditions such as weather, rather than a deliberate decision. The New York Times reported that Western satellites have had trouble tracking S-400 launches in the past.pbs+2

The Financial Times reported over the weekend that U.S. envoys raised the possibility of cutting off intelligence in talks with Ukrainian officials on Friday, Oct. 9.haberintelifi.aa

Diesel, a disputed truce and a new feud

The dispute follows Trump's move on Friday to ease sanctions on Russian diesel exports. Zelenskyy called it "a weak decision by strong partners." Trump answered that "it's time for Ukraine to get a new president". Trump has blamed Ukraine's refinery strikes for record U.S. diesel prices ahead of next month's midterm elections. U.S. diesel averages $6.27 a gallon, more than 70% higher than a year ago, according to AAA.npr+1

Zelenskyy rejected that explanation and pointed to the Iran war and the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz. He said the Russian diesel volumes were too small to bring U.S. prices down and would mainly give the Kremlin more money for the war.npr

On Sunday, Trump announced an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Zelenskyy said he learned about it from Trump's Truth Social post. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said only that "contacts on this matter continue". Zelenskyy said Ukraine has not struck Russian energy sites since the announcement, while Russian attacks have continued. One overnight strike destroyed a residential building in Kharkiv and killed four people. Russia's Defense Ministry said it downed 604 Ukrainian drones overnight.pbs+1

"Putin doesn't respond to diplomacy," Zelenskyy told NPR. "He understands force".npr