U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner raised the possibility of cutting off intelligence sharing with Ukraine if Kyiv does not stop striking Russian oil refineries, according to the Financial Times, citing people familiar with Friday's talks in Miami. The special envoys made the point during nearly eight hours of talks. Ukraine uses U.S. intelligence for the strikes, the FT reports.
The meeting was derailed when President Donald J. Trump announced a deal with Russia to release diesel onto the world market, three people with direct knowledge told the FT. The Ukrainian team was blindsided. One person said the envoys told them the U.S. was poised to lift sanctions on Russian diesel and that Moscow intended to lift its export ban. The FT reports President Trump has pressed Zelenskyy to halt the drone strikes, citing strain on global energy prices from the Iran war.
Zelenskyy called the move "a weak decision made by strong partners." A senior Ukrainian official said, "We will burn refineries." Hours later, Ukrainian forces struck the Yug Rusi oil terminal in Rostov-on-Don, according to Russian authorities (video below). Ukraine's team cut its trip short. Witkoff said in a post on X that the talks were "productive" and the sides agreed to continue diplomacy.Ukrainian officials viewed the request to halt strikes without Russia doing the same as unfair, the FT's sources said. The Trump administration paused intelligence sharing for eight days in March 2025 after an Oval Office clash with Zelenskyy, per the FT.
Ukrainian authorities say a Russian glide bomb attack on Zaporizhzhia on Saturday killed at least 15 civilians, including three children. Russian ballistic missiles and jet powered drones also attacked Kyiv.
Source:
https://www.ft.com/content/7fd4dffc-8adf-4ad8-9fba-333e1ced991d?syn-25a6b1a6=1
www.kyivpost.com
