Ukraine is ready to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries, but only if the United States provides Patriot missiles for the same period. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this in an interview with Fox News.
Zelensky said he had discussed the issue “several times” with U.S. President Donald Trump and his associates. According to him, Kyiv cannot remain without responding when Russia attacks Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
“We cannot fail to respond when Russia attacks our energy infrastructure, kills people and strikes facilities in the electricity, gas and oil-refining sectors,” Zelensky said.The Ukrainian president also pointed to another possible option – Russia halting its attacks on Ukraine’s energy system. He said that in such a scenario, Ukraine would also stop attacks on Russian targets.
Zelensky said Kyiv was ready to pay for the Patriot missiles, rather than simply request them as aid. He linked the duration of any potential halt to the strikes to the period for which Ukraine would have the air-defense missiles.
“If you want us not to attack Russian oil refineries for one month, give us Patriots for one month,” the Ukrainian president said.Three refineries hit in three days
According to UNIAN, Ukraine refrained from striking Russian oil refineries for two weeks at the request of the U.S. administration. According to the same report, Russia did not halt its attacks on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces resumed the strikes on Friday. Three Russian oil refineries were hit over the course of three days, and according to the reported data, this put about 10% of Russia’s oil-refining capacity out of operation.
The facilities named are the Kstovo and Novokuibyshevsk refineries, as well as “Bashneft-Novoil”. Their combined annual capacity is about 33 million tonnes of oil.
In his interview, Zelensky did not announce a specific timeframe for a new halt to the strikes. His remarks make it clear that Kyiv is making the Patriot condition part of its discussions with Washington, while simultaneously calling for an end to Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy system.
Sources: unian.net