Partners asked Ukraine to suspend strikes on Russian oil refineries — Budanov
Some international partners have urged Ukraine to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries due to the risk of exacerbating the global energy crisis.
Kirill Budanov reported this in an interview with Bloomberg. According to him, the allies’ concerns stem from the rapid rise in energy prices triggered by the large-scale war in the Middle East.
Budanov diplomatically confirmed receiving such “signals,” but did not disclose details regarding which specific countries they came from. At the same time, the official expressed hope for a swift end to the conflict in the Middle East, which should stabilize the global fuel market. Despite calls from partners, the Armed Forces continue to strike enemy strategic targets, including the Lukoil oil refinery in the Nizhny Novgorod region, as reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the same day.
The situation with oil prices in 2026 became critical following Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and ultimatums from the U.S. Western leaders fear that the simultaneous disruption of Russian production capacity and a shortage of raw materials from the Persian Gulf will lead to the collapse of the global economy. However, the Ukrainian side has repeatedly emphasized that strikes on Russian fuel infrastructure are a legitimate target for weakening the aggressor’s military capabilities. This was reported by Maria Yemets, citing Bloomberg.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that if Russia ceases its strikes on energy infrastructure, Ukraine will respond in kind. At the same time, he expressed doubt regarding the possibility of Russia announcing a general mobilization in the near future, noting that he does not have complete information on this matter.
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