President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukraine will resume attacks on Russian energy infrastructure after Moscow failed to uphold its end of an “energy ceasefire” deal proposed by President Donald Trump.
“The block [on attacking refineries] is out. We’re done,” Zelenskyy told the Financial Times after Ukraine paused strikes on energy targets for three days at the request of Washington.
On Sunday, Trump announced an “energy ceasefire” between Ukraine and Russia in an effort to put an end to the countries attacking each other’s power facilities and thereby lower the price of oil and diesel ahead of the U.S. midterm elections next month.
Despite Ukraine’s pause, officials in Kyiv said the country has been stripped of advance warnings of incoming ballistic missiles, as Starlink connectivity services had been restricted across the country, disrupting military operations. The restrictions apply to the sister service Starshield.
Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to Zelenskyy on defense technology, said Wednesday that SpaceX has implemented a speed limit on Starlink terminals in motion without notifying Ukrainian defense forces.
“It is clear that this action cannot be a coincidence and is related to the current political situation,” Beskrestnov said on Telegram.
According to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, the U.S. government is ultimately responsible for any curbs on Ukraine’s military-grade Starlink network. “Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government,” he wrote on X on Wednesday.
The White House and SpaceX didn’t respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
In an interview with Piers Morgan released late Wednesday, Zelenskyy said he felt let down by Trump’s recent dealings with Vladimir Putin, Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure and the apparent shutdown of Starlink.
Asked whether he felt “betrayed by what has been happening,” Zelenskyy answered: “Really, yes,” but stressed that Ukraine’s survival and its strategic relationship with the U.S. mattered more than his personal emotions.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine had honored a proposed energy ceasefire for three days, refraining from both attacks and retaliation, while Russia subsequently launched a massive assault on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, including approximately 40 ballistic missiles.
He said he had warned U.S. officials that Russia would violate the ceasefire and described the reported Starlink shutdown as an “absolutely crazy” move that was not consistent with the behavior expected between partners.
