Donald Trump's administration has warned Ukraine that it could lose access to American intelligence unless it stops attacking Russian oil refineries, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. The demand would tie a crucial part of Ukraine's defence to its willingness to spare infrastructure that helps fund Russia's war.

Trump says intelligence-sharing continues. But Kyiv's complaints that it received no advance warning of recent Russian ballistic missile attacks have brought the threat into sharper focus, just as Washington eases pressure on Moscow's fuel exports.

Zelensky confirmed the warning in an October 13 interview with NPR. He defended Ukraine's long-range drone campaign against Russian energy and logistics sites, saying those strikes weaken Moscow's ability to keep fighting. Ukraine would stop hitting energy facilities if Russia did the same, he said.

Washington says intelligence is still flowing

Asked whether Washington had stopped sharing intelligence, Trump told reporters on October 13: "No, we haven't." In remarks carried by PBS, he said the United States continued helping Ukraine in pursuit of an end to the war.

He put that position this way:

We are helping them and we are sharing intel, we want the war to end. So, we're working with them and with Russia on getting the war to end.

The White House did not answer NPR's question about whether it had threatened another suspension, referring the broadcaster to Trump's public comments instead. That leaves Zelensky's account of the warning unconfirmed by Washington, while Trump's denial addresses whether a cutoff has already happened.

The distinction matters on the ground. American intelligence helps Ukraine detect incoming attacks and protect civilians and critical infrastructure. Washington briefly paused intelligence-sharing in March 2025, restoring it after Kyiv accepted a U.S. ceasefire proposal. Another interruption would have a precedent.

Cheap diesel, expensive concessions

As previously reported by Apex, Trump agreed to ease sanctions on Russian diesel after speaking with Vladimir Putin. Zelensky objected that the relief would give Moscow more resources to continue the war.

Trump has blamed Ukrainian refinery strikes for higher diesel prices. Zelensky rejects that explanation, pointing instead to the Iran war and disruption of the Strait of Hormuz:

Mostly people in the world know why their prices on any kind of energy, including diesel, raised up, why they increased. Because of Hormuz. Yes. Because of blocking the Strait of Hormuz.

He also argued that the additional Russian supply would be too small to bring down American fuel prices. That is his assessment, rather than an established outcome of the deal. Trump clarified on October 13 that the arrangement was a global diesel deal and Russia would not be selling to America.

Kyiv reports missing warnings and satellite restrictions

The latest attacks have made the argument more urgent. In an October 14 account of Zelensky's call with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Ukraine's presidential office said Kyiv had gone without an advance warning from partners for the second time that week. A Russian strike hit the grounds of a major power plant and damaged a residential building.

Missing warnings alone do not prove an American intelligence suspension. Trump's statement that sharing continues remains the public U.S. position.

Ukraine is also reporting a separate problem with satellite communications. Its charge d'affaires in Washington, Denys Sienik, told RFE/RL on October 14 that military Starlink terminals were experiencing restrictions while moving. SpaceX had not commented, and the outlet said the throttling had not been independently verified.

Those connectivity problems are separate from access to U.S. intelligence. Together, however, they have exposed how much Ukraine's military operations depend on American support at a moment when Trump wants Kyiv to change its targeting. Zelensky is offering reciprocal restraint. He is not offering to leave Russian energy infrastructure untouched while Ukraine's power plants remain under attack.