The US has threatened Ukraine with a halt to arms supplies and intelligence sharing if Kiev continues to strike Russian oil refineries. The Financial Times reports this, citing European officials familiar with the talks.
US officials have been in talks with Kiev and European capitals in an attempt to stop attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. The threat also concerns the PURL mechanism - the system through which Ukraine receives American weapons purchased with funding from European allies.
Washington has also raised the possibility of suspending intelligence sharing with Ukraine. "They're calling Kiev, they're calling everyone in Europe," an unnamed European official told the Financial Times.
The pressure is linked to attacks on Russian refineries
The US pressure comes as Donald Trump's administration tries to stop attacks on Russian energy facilities. According to the Financial Times, the aim is to limit tensions over fuel supplies and achieve a broader energy truce between Moscow and Kiev.
On Sunday, Trump announced that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an "energy truce" that he said would stop attacks on energy facilities. The US president did not give details on the duration, scope or mechanism for monitoring the deal.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the agreement announced by Trump was news to him. According to him, Kiev is ready to stop the strikes if Russia also stops attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. The American agency AP notes that no specific terms of the ceasefire have been announced at the moment.
The diesel deal exacerbates the disagreements
The pressure on Kiev also followed Trump's decision to temporarily allow transactions with Russian diesel fuel. On October 9, the US president announced an agreement with Russia for fuel supplies to world markets. The US Treasury Department issued a license that allows these operations until April 7, 2027.
Trump said that Russia would deliver more than 300,000 tons of diesel immediately, another 500,000 tons in November and additional quantities at a later stage. Zelensky called the decision to temporarily ease sanctions unfair.
Sources: apnews.com, theguardian.com