US Intel Helped Power Kyiv’s Strikes That Crippled Russian Oil – Officials

The US reportedly gave the intel needed for Kyiv to cripple Russia’s oil input by at least 38% due to frustration with the Kremlin’s refusal to sincerely engage in peace talks.

The US, under President Donald Trump, reportedly provided the necessary intelligence to help Kyiv strike Russian oil facilities across the country in a secret bid to push Moscow towards negotiations.

As of early October, the attacks reportedly shut down 38% of Russian oil refineries and prompted an oil crisis inside Russia, with sales restrictions on gasoline and diesel introduced in multiple regions.

The Financial Times (FT), citing unnamed US and Ukrainian officials, said the Trump administration secretly helped enable the strikes by providing Kyiv with the necessary data.

The data included route planning, altitude, timing and mission details that helped Ukrainian drones evade Russian air defenses, according to an unnamed US official cited by the FT.

Three officials told the publication that Ukraine chose the targets, with the US providing full support at every stage of planning. Other unnamed officials suggested Washington also helped set target priorities for Kyiv.

The decision was reportedly spurred by a conversation between Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky in July, during which Trump reportedly asked Zelensky if Kyiv could strike Moscow if it had US long-range weapons

Trump later rejected reports of the conversation, saying that “no, he shouldn’t target Moscow” when questioned.

But according to the FT, Trump had secretly endorsed the strategy for Kyiv to strike Russian oil facilities to “make them [Russians] feel the pain,” citing two officials reportedly familiar with the call.

The US President warns Russia he will arm Ukraine with long-range cruise missiles if war is not settled quickly. The Kremlin’s reaction is one of “deep concern.”

Officials said Trump strengthened his support for the strikes after his August summit in Alaska with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. Following the talks, Trump pulled back on his earlier pledge to impose new sanctions on Russia but reportedly grew frustrated with Moscow’s continued attacks on Ukraine despite their positive tone.

In October, the Kremlin complained that “the powerful momentum generated by Anchorage in favour of agreements… has largely gone.”

The summit’s key goal – an in-person meeting between Zelensky and Putin – failed to materialize after Putin brushed off the proposal, suggesting instead that Zelensky visit Moscow, a demand Kyiv and the West deemed a non-starter.

Kyiv has thus far relied on its domestic drones and missiles to conduct the strikes on the oil facilities, with Zelensky hinting that Kyiv has used its new Flamingo long-range missiles alongside the drones in recent strikes.

Kyiv Post sought confirmation from the Ukrainian General Staff about reports of Flamingo missiles but was told, “No, we do not have such information at this time.”

The missile, which reportedly underwent successful testing in recent months, has a range of 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles), which enables it to hit deep into Russia, beyond the Ural Mountains and into the Asian parts of Russia.

While the Flamingo’s makers have boasted of its superior performance over the US-made Tomahawk missiles, the transfer of the latter is still sought by Kyiv and is reportedly under discussion.

Trump said the decision is “sort of made” on Oct. 7 without elaboration, with the missile transfer likely to top the agenda during a high-level Ukrainian delegation’s visit to Washington this upcoming week./KP/