Zelenskyy says Russia’s war on Ukraine must be brought to an end
Diplomacy amid US tensions
Zelenskyy said Ukraine was preparing for the next steps in diplomacy to end the war with Russia. He also described communication between Washington and Kyiv as “virtually nonstop,” despite a dispute with Trump. The tensions include Trump waiving expected sanctions on Russia’s energy economy on Saturday. Trump had also called renewed Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure “a disgrace.”
Intelligence and satellite access
On Sunday, Zelenskyy said he was thankful the United States had resumed intelligence sharing with Ukraine. The pause had left the country particularly vulnerable to Russia’s regular ballistic missile attacks.
Kyiv has also reported restrictions on the speed of Starshield, a military-grade version of Starlink provided to Ukraine by Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX. Musk said any limits on Starshield connectivity were the US government’s responsibility. In an NBC interview on Sunday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called Zelenskyy “very reckless” over his accusation that the United States was throttling connectivity.
Ukraine strikes St Petersburg
On Saturday night and into the early hours of Sunday, Ukraine launched a significant drone attack on St Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city. The attack targeted a key oil refinery and depot.
Key points
- Zelenskyy said Ukraine was preparing further diplomatic steps to end the war with Russia.
- He welcomed the resumption of US intelligence sharing after a pause.
- Kyiv reported speed restrictions on Starshield, while Musk blamed any limits on the US government.
- Ukraine’s drone attack on St Petersburg targeted an oil refinery and depot, an Ozon warehouse and a VKontakte data centre.