Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country received no advance warning from its allies before Russia launched five ballistic missiles at Kiev.
“There was also a particularly vile ballistic missile strike on Kyiv – five missiles that hit civilian infrastructure,” Zelensky wrote on X Tuesday. “Unfortunately, we received no early warning from our partners about this strike.”
He continued, “Intelligence on Russian ballistic missile launches helps save lives, and this is one of the most critical issues. This is precisely what helps prevent people from being killed – when there is an early warning about ballistic missiles.”
The statement comes after the US reportedly threatened to cut off intelligence sharing with Ukraine over Zelensky’s refusal to implement an energy truce with Russia announced by President Donald Trump.
European officials speaking with the Financial Times said they received calls from their American counterparts on Saturday and Sunday threatening to stop the procurement system that provides Ukraine with weapons. The threats are intended to push Ukraine into an energy truce.
The reported threats included suspending intelligence sharing and the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), a NATO-coordinated mechanism through which European countries purchase American weapons for Ukraine.
Trump has maintained that the US continues to share intelligence with Ukraine.
Twice in the past month, Trump has announced an energy truce between Russia and Ukraine on Truth Social. “Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!” the President wrote on Truth Social Sunday.
However, neither Ukraine nor Russia has implemented the announced truce, and Ukrainian officials have disputed that an agreement was reached. A senior Ukrainian official close to Zelensky told the FT on Sunday moments after Trump posted his statement, “Nobody has heard [of the ceasefire].”
On Tuesday, Zelensky said Ukraine had refrained from striking Russian energy infrastructure for two days following Trump’s announcement. However, he accused Moscow of continuing to attack Ukrainian energy and critical infrastructure.
A similar situation played out when Trump announced an energy truce in September. The repeated announcements and reported threats suggest Trump is escalating pressure on Ukraine to halt attacks on Russian refineries.
Trump has also moved to ease economic pressure on Moscow, announcing a major diesel deal with Russia. The agreement suggests Trump is willing to sacrifice a central pillar of Washington’s economic pressure campaign against Moscow to lower fuel prices at home. The attempt to economically isolate Russia was a key part of Ukraine’s strategy to prevail in the war.
Axios reported that the deal was a result of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky refusing to stop attacking Russian energy targets. “Zelensky is misreading the room. By continuing to hit refineries, he is eroding the good will that he has built with Trump over the last six months,” a US official told the outlet.
Trump also suggested Ukraine should replace Zelensky with a leader willing to reach a deal with Russia. “He’d better damn well stop,” Trump said, before suggesting Ukraine should “get a new leader who can make a deal.”
