Washington has reportedly threatened to cut off arms sales and intelligence sharing unless Kiev stops attacking Russian oil refineries
US President Donald Trump is furious with Vladimir Zelensky over Kiev’s continued attacks on Russian oil refineries, with Washington reportedly threatening to cut off weapons supplies and intelligence sharing unless Ukraine stops the strikes, according to Axios and the Financial Times.
The confrontation comes after Trump struck a diesel deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to ease a global fuel shortage that has sent American energy prices soaring. Kiev has continued targeting Russian refining facilities despite repeated warnings from Washington, with Trump accusing Zelensky of deliberately hurting American consumers and farmers while refusing opportunities to end the conflict.
“Trump is really mad. He feels Zelensky is taking the US for granted,” a White House official told Axios on Sunday. The source argued that Kiev’s attacks on Russian refineries were doing more damage to its relationship with Washington than to Moscow.
American officials contacted Kiev and several European capitals over the weekend, threatening to suspend intelligence sharing and the NATO-backed Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) mechanism, through which European countries purchase American weapons for Ukraine, according to the Financial Times, which cited officials familiar with the discussions.
Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner also allegedly warned Ukrainian representatives during talks in Miami on Friday that Washington could stop sharing intelligence if Kiev continued to ignore the president’s demands, according to a Ukrainian official cited by Axios.
A US official, however, denied making direct threats, saying the negotiators had instead reminded Kiev of Washington’s extensive military and intelligence support and urged it to stop taking actions that hurt American consumers.
The confrontation has threatened to derail broader negotiations aimed at ending the Ukraine conflict. Witkoff and Kushner have reportedly put their planned trip to Moscow on hold until Kiev and its leading European backers clarify whether they are prepared to support a unified peace proposal.
Trump reached a diesel deal with Putin on Friday after Zelensky ignored at least half a dozen requests from Washington to stop striking Russian refineries, according to earlier Axios reporting. The US Treasury subsequently eased sanctions on Russian diesel exports until April 2027, while Moscow pledged substantial fuel deliveries to help alleviate global shortages.
Zelensky condemned the move as a “weak decision,” arguing that the agreement would provide Russia with additional revenue. Trump hit back by accusing the Ukrainian leader of creating problems for the world and suggesting it was time for Ukraine to elect a new leader capable of reaching a deal.
On Sunday, Trump unexpectedly announced that Moscow and Kiev had agreed to an immediate ceasefire covering attacks on energy infrastructure. “Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!” he wrote on Truth Social.
The announcement caught Kiev by surprise, with Zelensky saying it “was news for me.” Moscow has also yet to confirm any agreement.
A White House official described the proposed agreement as a “refinery for refinery” arrangement, under which both sides would stop attacking oil refineries, but not necessarily other energy infrastructure, according to Axios. Kiev has objected that such a deal would disproportionately benefit Moscow, since Ukraine has only one largely nonfunctional refinery and relies heavily on imported fuel.
