Putin Vows Retaliation as Ukraine Resumes Refinery Attacks Amid Trump Dispute

Russian President Vladimir Putin has pledged retaliation following Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries, which resumed on Thursday. The strikes on energy infrastructure came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused former U.S. President Donald Trump of a "betrayal" over a deal to purchase Russian diesel fuel.

One of the recent Ukrainian strikes hit a major oil refinery in the Ryazan region of western Russia, causing a large fire. Local authorities reported no casualties and temporary school closures. Separately, a fuel terminal in Rostov-on-Don, southern Russia, reignited after burning for five days.

Zelensky's renewed focus on Russian energy facilities follows his sharp criticism of Trump's agreement with Putin to buy Russian diesel. Zelensky has characterized Trump's actions as "treacherous" and expressed concern that such deals could bolster Russia's ability to sustain its invasion of Ukraine. He also alleged that Trump has an "instinctive affinity" for autocrats.

Earlier this week, Trump had called for Zelensky's resignation and attributed rising energy prices to the Ukrainian president. In response to Zelensky's criticism of the diesel deal, Trump stated it was "time for Ukraine to get a new president." Trump also announced an apparent ceasefire on energy infrastructure strikes, which Zelensky indicated he was unaware of.

Despite a supposed ceasefire, Ukraine reported that Russia continued its attacks, targeting gas infrastructure, a power plant, and a substation. Zelensky stated on social media that Russia was exploiting moments of pressure and called for "strong decisions" to end the war, emphasizing Ukraine's need for stable support, particularly in air defense.

Ukraine also reported damaging six Russian Su-34M fighter-bombers in a strike on the Borisoglebsk airfield in the Voronezh region.

Kyiv has expressed concerns about the reliability of U.S. support, with Zelensky noting a lack of early-warning alerts for ballistic missiles and a slowdown in Starlink satellite communications service, which he stated interfered with frontline operations. Ukraine is reportedly running critically low on its stock of U.S.-made Patriot air defense interceptors, which are vital for countering ballistic missile threats. This shortage was cited as a reason why most ballistic missiles from a recent strike on Kyiv's power plants were not intercepted.

Britain has announced it is sending additional long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine. President Zelensky met with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham in London recently, where Britain reaffirmed its support for Kyiv amid Ukraine's strained relations with Washington.