Key facts
- European leaders warn Donald Trump not to waste Ukraine's leverage by pressuring Kyiv to stop refinery attacks.
- Ukraine's refinery campaign is creating a fuel shortage in Russia and harming its war financing.
- Trump has demanded Ukraine stop refinery attacks and suggested Kyiv install a new leader.
- Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski stated the war should end by persuading the aggressor, not asking the victim to capitulate.
- German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is pushing the Trump administration to fully impose energy sanctions approved by the U.S. Congress.
- U.K. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband called for a broad energy ceasefire, noting 200 Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure in the past week.
European leaders are expressing concern that U.S. President Donald Trump may squander Ukraine's growing leverage in its conflict with Russia by pressuring Kyiv to cease attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha remarked that the nation has progressed from a position of having "no cards" to one of significant influence, partly due to its campaign targeting Russian refineries.
These refinery attacks have reportedly led to fuel shortages in Russia and are impacting the Kremlin's ability to finance the war. However, European officials fear that Trump's focus on lowering global fuel prices, particularly ahead of U.S. midterm elections, could weaken Ukraine's negotiating position without compelling Russia to end the conflict.
Sybiha's comments, made at the Warsaw Security Conference, highlighted growing tensions between Kyiv, Washington, and European allies. This friction was exacerbated by Trump's statement that the U.S. had agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin to purchase Russian diesel. A French lawmaker, speaking anonymously, described Trump's negotiations with Putin as "another stab in the back" for Ukrainians.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski emphasized that ending the war should involve persuading the aggressor to limit their ambitions, rather than asking the victim to capitulate. His German counterpart, Johann Wadephul, indicated that Berlin is urging the Trump administration to fully implement energy sanctions approved by the U.S. Congress. Wadephul also noted that his recent conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov showed no Russian interest in a ceasefire.
U.K. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband echoed the call for strengthening sanctions, advocating for a comprehensive energy ceasefire where both nations would cease attacks on each other's energy assets. Miliband pointed out that Russia has not agreed to such a step and highlighted that Russia has conducted approximately 200 attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure in the past week alone.
Trump has stated that Putin is more eager to end the fighting than Zelenskyy, despite the Kremlin not agreeing to a ceasefire. Since Trump announced the energy ceasefire proposal, Ukraine has paused its refinery attacks, while Russian assaults on Ukrainian energy infrastructure persist. Sybiha also denied rumors that the U.S. had stopped sharing intelligence with Kyiv, attributing a failure to detect ballistic missiles that struck Kyiv to a "special type of weaponry" used by Russia.