FT: US Threatened to Cut Off Weapons and Intelligence Sharing Unless Ukraine Stops Striking Russian Oil Refineries
According to Financial Times sources, the US demanded on October 10 and 11 that Ukraine halt attacks on Russian oil refineries, threatening to end intelligence sharing and weapons supplies. Donald Trump separately announced an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
The United States has threatened to stop sharing intelligence with Ukraine and to suspend weapons deliveries to Kyiv unless Ukraine ends its strikes on Russian oil refineries, the Financial Times reported, citing its sources. The report matters because it concerns both the information Ukraine's military receives from an ally and the arms supplied to it by Western partners.
What was threatened
The sources said the calls conveying these demands came on Saturday, October 10, and on Sunday. The threat reportedly extends to PURL, the mechanism through which European countries buy American weapons for Ukraine. One official who received a call from a representative of the US Defense Department told the newspaper: "They are calling Kyiv… they are calling everyone [in Europe]."
Trump's announcement and the reaction
US President Donald Trump announced on October 11 that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an energy ceasefire. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the announcement was "news" to him. He later said Ukraine's armed forces had "received all relevant orders," without specifying what he meant.
The Kremlin, the Russian government's administration, did not officially comment on the situation.
The Financial Times account does not say whether Kyiv has accepted the American demands or how the intensity of the strikes will change. It also does not specify which European countries received calls from the US Defense Department.
