Ukraine abandons truce and attacks Russian oil refinery as Zelenskyy
says he feels betrayed by Trump
[October 16, 2026]
By SUSIE BLANN
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine attacked a Russian oil refinery Thursday,
abandoning a brief truce involving energy-related targets that it said
Moscow did not heed, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he
felt betrayed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The drone strike started a fire at the refinery about 300 kilometers
(180 miles) southeast of Moscow in Russia’s Ryazan region, according to
the Russian Defense Ministry and Ryazan Gov. Pavel Malkov. Russia’s
Astra online news outlet posted what it said was a photograph of the
blaze.
The strike could further complicate Kyiv’s relations with Trump, which
have soured again in recent days amid deepening tensions between Ukraine
and Washington.
Zelenskyy said he was outraged by Russia’s continuing aerial bombardment
of energy infrastructure in apparent defiance of Trump’s demand on
Sunday for both sides to halt those attacks.
Despite going along with Trump’s demand for a truce, Zelenskyy
complained, Ukraine in recent days was denied the usual Western
intelligence on Russian ballistic missile strikes, and limits were
placed on its use of U.S.-made Starlink communication terminals. Both
are vital for the Ukrainian military.
He said his patience had run out, telling the Financial Times in an
interview published Thursday that Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil
refineries would resume.
“We’re done,” Zelenskyy was quoted as saying.
A senior Ukrainian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because
he wasn’t authorized to speak publicly, confirmed that Ukraine had hit
the refinery.
Zelenskyy slams US deal to buy Russian diesel
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that Ukraine never
stopped its strikes on refineries. It wasn't possible to independently
verify each side's claims.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov labeled Ukraine’s strikes on oil
facilities as a “direct and crude challenge to President Trump.”
Another point of tension with Ukraine is a deal Trump made with Russian
President Vladimir Putin to import Russian diesel, despite international
efforts to sanction Russia for its invasion and diplomatically isolate
Putin.
Zelenskyy slammed the agreement, saying it would allow Russia to press
on with its full-scale invasion of Ukraine that began more than 4½ years
ago. U.S. efforts under Trump to end the war have made no progress.
In an interview late Wednesday with Piers Morgan on the British
journalist’s YouTube show, Zelenskyy said he felt betrayed by Trump’s
deal with Putin, the energy ceasefire announcement and the Starlink
limits that restricted the use of Ukrainian drones.
Asked if he felt betrayed by the American president, he said, “Really,
yes, between us.”
“Our country has to survive, and we count on our real partners,
strategic partners, the United States and President Trump,” Zelenskyy
told Morgan.
He said the behavior of the U.S., including restricting the Starlink
system, “was really strange.”
Zelenskyy says U.S. position isn't ‘on the right side of history’
In the same interview, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was “losing a strong
partner” in the United States.
“It’s painful when President Trump chooses one side, not our side. But
we are OK that he’s in the middle,” he said.
Zelenskyy said someone is pushing Trump into a stance that is “not the
right side of history.”
On Thursday, Trump openly declared his dislike of Zelenskyy in an
interview with Newsmax, criticizing him for resuming strikes on Russia’s
energy infrastructure and for not wanting to settle with Russian leader
Vladimir Putin.
“Zelenskyy is not a good guy for us to deal with,” Trump said. “I’m not
a big fan of Zelensky. They’ve destroyed that country.”
The U.S. president added, “I think I find Zelenskyy to be more difficult
to deal with than Putin.”
Trump suggested that Ukraine should hold an election to replace
Zelenskyy as he suggested that Russia had a military edge because of its
size.
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In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency
services personnel work in residential neighborhood following a
Russian air attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026.
(Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
The president, who was not asked about the Starlink issue or
intelligence sharing in the interview, added that Ukraine had the
best military equipment because it came from the U.S.
Elon Musk noted on X that the military version of Starlink, called
Starshield, is controlled by the U.S. military and Trump.
A Ukrainian official said the country has not received an
explanation from SpaceX, the company that maintains the Starlink
satellites, or the Pentagon, on the slowdown. The official spoke on
condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive situation.
The Pentagon has not answered questions about the slowdown from The
Associated Press either.
The absence of Western intelligence leaves Ukraine more vulnerable
to Russian ballistic missiles. Trump has said the U.S. hasn't
stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine.
Ukraine looks to Europe for more help
Amid fears that the Trump administration may be withdrawing support
for Ukraine, Zelenskyy went to Brussels on Thursday for talks with
European Union leaders attending a two-day summit.
Zelenskyy said he would meet with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte,
French President Emmanuel Macron, and the prime ministers of Poland,
Denmark and Belgium.
The previous day, he visited London, where he won pledges of more
help from U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
Asked whether the EU still trusts Trump, the bloc’s foreign policy
chief, Kaja Kallas, replied: “We definitely have a different
approach to this war. We see that we have to pressure the aggressor
to stop the war, not the victim to surrender.”
“Squeezing Ukraine is not the right approach, and that is why Europe
is standing beside Ukraine,” Kallas told reporters.
Russian strike in Ukraine kills 3 civilians
In other developments, three people were killed and six others
injured after the Kirovohrad region of central Ukraine came under a
Russian drone attack lasting more than 10 hours, Ukraine’s Emergency
Services said Thursday.
Between midnight and Thursday morning, Russia launched more than 850
drones at Ukraine, Zelenskyy said on X. He added that the barrage
came “precisely at a time when the speed of our defensive
capabilities is being artificially restricted,” an apparent
reference to the Starlink restrictions on drones.
Russian aerial attacks hit 15 Ukrainian regions, he said.
“It is obvious that Russia deliberately chose to escalate its
attacks after receiving sanctions relief and seeing attempts to
pressure Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said. “It is important that everyone in
America stand not with the aggressor, but with our efforts to
protect lives, end this war and guarantee security.”
Ukrainian air defenses stopped 536 Russian drones during a
large-scale overnight attack, the Ukrainian air force said, but
impacts were recorded at 31 locations.
A Ukrainian missile destroyed six warplanes at an airfield in
southwestern Russia, Zelenskyy said. The aircraft were used to
launch powerful glide bombs, he said.
“Russia is dragging out the war, so our long-range operations will
continue,” he said on social media.
The Russian Defense Ministry said its air defenses downed 166
Ukrainian drones overnight and that Russian forces hit two vessels
carrying military cargo.
___
Associated Press writers Samya Kullab in Kyiv, Ukraine; Lorne Cook
in Brussels; and Konstantin Toropin in Washington contributed.
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