Russian President Vladimir Putin is “giving the middle finger” to President Trump by striking Ukrainian power plants and civilian buildings in apparent violation of a cease-fire, Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) told The Post Friday.
“President Trump said that he struck a deal to stop attacks on energy and infrastructure,” said Crenshaw, who visited Kyiv last week as part of a congressional delegation. “And Putin in the last few days is attacking infrastructure. So, in my opinion, President Trump should … absolutely punish him for that.”
The congressman and former Navy SEAL added that the Russian leader is “giving the middle finger to our president.” He suggested that Trump should not tolerate such an insult and has leverage to act against Putin.
Crenshaw indicated that leverage includes using congressionally approved sanctions to pressure Moscow and potentially granting Kyiv full access to the satellite internet system Starlink and its US military-controlled network, Starshield. He stated that Ukraine needs satellite connectivity over Russia and Russian-occupied territories to guide drone attacks on mobile ballistic missile launchers.
“Ukrainian drones … can hit these targets, but they can’t navigate to them,” Crenshaw explained. “They’ve hit stuff inside Russia, but it’s difficult. You really need Starlink to navigate to them.”
He noted that Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, has expressed reservations about providing Starlink for offensive military action, stating on X that its use is limited to civilian or defensive activities. Crenshaw, however, believes Ukraine’s request qualifies as a defensive action.
Putin targeted power plants in Kyiv and other regions with hundreds of drones and missile strikes in the days following a cease-fire agreement announced Sunday, which Moscow promptly violated. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that these attacks occurred as Russia saw the prospect of higher revenues for its war machine, referencing a deal for Russia to export diesel to global markets.
Ukraine responded with strikes on Russian oil refineries, which President Trump criticized for causing oil prices to increase. Trump told Newsmax that the refinery attacks were a “disgrace.”
Zelensky claimed that US officials subsequently threatened to cut off intelligence sharing with Ukraine, and his nation also experienced Starshield service interruptions. Ukraine’s Chargé d’Affaires to the US, Denys Sienik, stated on Thursday that Starshield speeds had improved but were not yet fully restored to previous levels. He emphasized that speed is critical for logistics and for intercepting drones, especially as Russia continues its attacks and opposes a ceasefire.
