The key facts

  • Ukrainian long-range strike units were instructed in mid-October to suspend attacks on Russian refineries after completing current operations
  • Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara advised Zelensky to refrain from strikes due to the diplomatic situation; Zelensky agreed, leaving the military the right to resume attacks
  • According to WSJ sources, on October 20 in Oslo Jared Kushner repeated Trump's demand not to strike refineries; one official called the conversation

An unofficial pause in strikes

Ukraine has unofficially suspended strikes on Russian oil refineries amid pressure from US President Donald Trump and uncertainty over further support for Kyiv from Washington. This was reported by The Wall Street Journal; a summary of the publication is cited by Anadolu and Gazeta.Ru. According to the outlet, the unofficial pause began at the start of last week and is expected to last until the US midterm elections scheduled for November 3, and possibly longer. Ukraine has made no official announcement about halting the attacks.

How the decision was made

Two military officials familiar with the situation told WSJthat Ukrainian long-range strike units received word in mid-October that attacks on Russian refineries would be suspended after current operations were completed. According to one of the sources, Ukrainian Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara advised President Volodymyr Zelensky to refrain from strikes, given the sensitive diplomatic situation. Zelensky agreed, while emphasizing that the military is free to resume the attacks if they deem it necessary.

US pressure and the position of European allies

Two American officials told the outlet that on October 20 in Oslo, Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner repeated the White House chief's demand not to strike refineries; one of the interlocutors called the conversation These details are cited by Gazeta.Ru with reference to WSJ. According to European officials, Kyiv's allies from European countries advised Zelensky to take into account the political factor of rising energy prices ahead of the congressional elections, and some of them, concerned about the relationship between Zelensky and Trump, pushed him toward suspending the strikes. According to media reports, Ukraine last attempted to attack a Russian refinery on October 20. One military official linked the resumption of Starlink's operation in Ukraine to the strikes on refineries, but American officials deny this.

Background and conflicting reports

The WSJ publication echoes earlier reports. On October 27, Le Monde wrote that US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff, during October talks in Florida, demanded in harsh terms that the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, stop strikes on Russian refineries; Budanov later denied this information. In October, Trump called Ukraine's strikes on Russian refineries an outrage and blamed Kyiv for rising world oil prices, while Russian President Vladimir Putin said Ukraine should have thought about the consequences of such strikes. Earlier, polls reported by Gazeta.Ru showed that a majority of Ukrainians supported strikes on refineries in Russia. The publications contain no official confirmation of the pause from Kyiv or Washington — the information is based on anonymous WSJ sources.