Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country would cease strikes on Russian oil refineries -- as demanded by US President Donald Trump -- if the US would quickly provide Kyiv with Patriot air-defense missiles.
Zelensky, in an interview with Fox News on November 1, said he had conducted "different and several" discussions with the US president and his aides on the matter.
"We [said] we can't not respond after Russia's attack on our energy, after Russia is killing our people, attacks on our electricity, gas, refineries, on everything," he told host Trey Yingst.
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Moscow Reports Drone Attack On Nizhny Novgorod As Russian Strikes Cut Power In Ukraine"We said that if you want us not to attack Russia's refineries, they have not to attack our energy system. Another alternative, give us Patriot missiles. We will find money; [it's] not just aid...We will pay for it."
Zelensky said if the US provided the missile systems for one month, Ukraine would cease attacks on Russian refineries for the same amount of time.
Could Take 'Several Years'
The US State Department on October 30 announced the approval of a critically needed sale of Patriot air defense interceptors to Ukraine worth $2.1 billion to strengthen Kyiv’s defenses against increasing Russian aerial attacks.
Zelenskyy, however, has warned that the 500 missile interceptors could take “several years” to arrive.
Zelenskyy wrote in a social media post that “500 PAC-3 interceptors is a substantial number” and could form an effective defense package this winter, but he added that “deliveries may begin only in a few years.”
“We are asking our American partners to find a solution for the time when there is a real danger and a real need to use PAC-3 interceptors,” the Ukrainian president said.
'We Escaped Hell': Oleshky Residents Reach Ukraine After Years In War-Torn City
Alex Plitsas, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and a former Pentagon official, said the Patriots announcement was significant but would not address Ukraine's immediate needs, warning that Russia's continued attacks on energy infrastructure were aimed at terrorizing civilians and forcing Ukraine to capitulate by freezing its population during winter.
The US-designed Patriot's PAC-3 interceptor is one of the few Western weapons capable of shooting down the ballistic missiles Russia has been firing at Ukrainian cities.
Trump, facing political headwinds over soaring energy prices at home, has called for an energy cease-fire, demanding that Russia and Ukraine cease strikes on such infrastructure.
Russia launched its unprovoked full-scale invasion on Ukraine in February 2022 and has resisted calls for a cease-fire. It has stepped up strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, along with attacks on civilian sites, as the potentially brutal winter months approach.
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Food Lines, War Dead: The Way They Live Now In A Frigid Siberian TownKyiv has retaliated against Russian energy infrastructure that it says is used to fuel its war on Ukraine. Energy shortages and long lines at filling stations have been reported across Russia.
A localized truce in the region of the Ukrainian city of Oleshky ended late on November 1 after Moscow refused the offer of an extension, Ukrainian officials said.
Signs Of Cyberwar?
Meanwhile, there were signs of a potential cyberwar heating up between the two countries, although details remained scarce.
Ukraine's air force on November 1 said it suspected the country's air raid alert system had been hacked but that systems had been restored to normal.
"The Air Alarm application appears to have been subjected to hostile interference," Ukraine's Air Force said in a statement on November 1. "Stay calm and follow our updates on our channel."
Separately, Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry early on November 2 said a cyberattack on its online app caused false information to be spread to the public.
"Attention! The mobile application of the Emergencies Ministry of Russia has been subjected to a massive cyberattack, enabling attackers to send false information to the public," the ministry wrote on Telegram.
There was no indication if the two incidents were linked, but Russian websites in recent days have reported multiple hacking attacks.