Zelensky imposes refinery deal demand – WSJ

The Ukrainian leader has reportedly agreed to a proposed 100-day pause in attacks in exchange for satellite coverage extending deeper into Russia Vladimir Zelensky is open to stopping attacks on Russian oil refineries for 100 days in exchange for a 300 km extension of Starlink satellite internet service coverage for the Ukrainian military, the Wall Street Journal has said.

The report comes as US President Donald Trump has ramped pressure on Zelensky to end the strikes, which he blames for surging global energy prices.

In his interview with Newsmax on Thursday, Trump called Ukraine’s actions “a disgrace.” In an article published the same day, the WSJ said that Republican Senators Roger Wicker and Kevin Cramer brought the deal to the Ukrainian leader during their visit to Kiev last Friday.

The outlet claimed that it was told by unnamed sources that Zelensky had agreed to the proposal.

The extended Starlink coverage should help Ukraine target missile launchers inside Russia, according to the report.

Read more Ukrainian drone attack causes fire at Russian oil refinery (VIDEO) Kiev, which is experiencing an acute shortage of US-supplied Patriot air defense missiles, has been struggling to contain Russia’s large-scale missile and drone strikes against military-related infrastructure across Ukraine.

Moscow says the raids are being carried out in response to Ukrainian terrorist attacks on civilian targets in Russia, including energy facilities.

The Ukrainians, who have relied heavily on Starlink during the conflict with Russia for battlefield communications and controlling drones, have been “terrified” by the slowdown of satellite internet provided by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company this week, the WSJ said.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian officials and frontline commanders complained that Starlink terminals had suddenly stopped working when UAVs flew faster than 100 mph, disrupting some combat missions.

According to Reuters, the order to slow down the service came directly from the White House.

Zelensky said on Friday that Starlink’s speed has increased over the last couple of days, but the restrictions haven’t been fully lifted yet.

Earlier this week, Zelensky confirmed reports that the US had threatened to stop sharing intelligence with Kiev if it kept ignoring Trump’s demands to cease energy strikes inside Russia.

Officials in Kiev also complained about receiving no advance warning from the Americans before Russian missile strikes.