The British government declares a state of “severe drought” in parts of southern England

On Thursday, it appeared that the growing rift in the relationship between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the administration of President Donald Trump is rapidly approaching the brink of a “final rupture,” according to Russian media comments. Zelensky's sharp statements towards Washington, accusing Trump of "treason" and "not standing on the right side of history," in addition to his directive to resume strikes on Russian oil refineries, reflected that the crisis was close to the line of "no return."

In a quick investment of the situation, Moscow escalated its tone towards the Ukrainian president, accusing him of “undermining the chances of peace and wasting the efforts of American negotiators.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that “American efforts to resolve the crisis in Ukraine collide with Kiev’s unwillingness to bring about peace.” He said, in a press briefing, that the persistent efforts made by the United States regarding the peace process are clashing with intransigent positions on the part of Kiev, pointing out that directing new strikes against Russian oil refineries, despite American warnings and the energy truce initiative proposed by Trump, clearly reflects that the Ukrainian side seeks to undermine American efforts.

The spokesman added: “I would like to remind you of the statement of Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak. He said that there was no ceasefire from Ukraine. The strikes on our oil refineries and energy sector facilities have continued these days. So there is nothing new here.”

He added, "By continuing to launch attacks on these (energy) facilities, the Ukrainian regime in Kiev is, without a doubt, in serious conflict with the peace efforts made by the United States, that is, the American negotiators, who are, in fact, making very persistent efforts to move the peace process forward in one way or another."

The US President had clearly called on Zelensky to stop targeting Russian oil refineries, considering that this destabilizes the global energy market, while media reports stated that Washington may stop providing Ukraine with intelligence information, and cut off Starlink communications with it, if Kiev insists on striking Russian refineries.

In the same context, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described Zelensky's position on the "diesel deal" concluded between Moscow and Washington as a "direct and frank challenge to Trump." He said, after the summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, in Baku: “The deal was proposed, and we supported it, but Mr. Zelensky repeatedly stated that I should not be bothered with this diesel deal, but rather I should be provided with Patriot missiles instead.” “I need to continue attacking the Russian energy sector, including oil refineries.”

The minister pointed out that “this behavior has become familiar to the head of the Kiev regime, who believes that the entire world owes him, and that he is obligated not to do anything in return.” He said Zelensky's position showed his unwillingness to take any constructive action.

On Thursday night, Zelensky issued political positions and sharp statements that reflected the extent of the tension and escalating rift in strategic relations with Washington, stressing his immediate feeling of “betrayal” following the American announcement of reaching a trade and political agreement to purchase diesel fuel from Russia, and warning that “the loss of the strong American partner weakens the Ukrainian front in the face of the escalating Russian attacks.”

Zelensky explained, in a television interview with British journalist Piers Morgan, that the Trump administration’s approach to agreeing with the Kremlin to reduce energy costs ahead of the midterm elections represents “bias for one party, and standing on the wrong side of history,” stressing that the issue for Kiev is not related to mere trade deals, but rather to the existence of the state and the protection of children and citizens.

This political debate coincided with explicit threats made by Washington, according to which it intends to stop the exchange of vital intelligence information and obstruct US arms purchase deals through European partners, if Ukrainian forces continue to target oil refineries and energy infrastructure deep inside Russia.

American intelligence data is of existential and tactical importance to the Ukrainian operations rooms and air defense systems, as it provides early warning about ballistic missile launching platforms and helps determine their paths and timing of strikes accurately before they reach their targets. In light of the collapse of the supposed “energy truce” and the continued Russian bombing, which caused power outages to more than 600,000 people, Zelensky intensified his diplomatic moves in the British capital, London. He held high-level talks with Prime Minister Andy Burnham and King Charles, seeking to secure alternatives to the armament and intelligence and financial support needed to compensate for the sharp decline in field coordination with Washington.

Zelensky's move came later to announce the resumption of strikes on Russian oil refineries, posing a direct and serious challenge to Trump. Zelensky said in an interview with the Financial Times: “Lifting the embargo is over. I informed the military about it,” the day after a Ukrainian attempt to target two refineries in Ryazan and Saratov provinces.

Last Sunday, Trump announced that a “truce in the energy sector” between Russia and Ukraine would enter into force immediately. Axios quoted a White House official as saying that the truce, according to Trump’s understanding, is limited to stopping mutual attacks on oil refineries.

While Moscow announced that it was “discussing the details of the truce” with the American side, it continued to carry out massive strikes on the electricity and energy infrastructure in Ukraine.

On the other hand, Zelensky said that his country has refrained from striking Russian refineries and energy facilities in general since Trump’s announcement, accusing Russia of continuing to target Ukrainian energy facilities. Before returning two days later to announce the resumption of strikes on Russian energy facilities.

On a related level, the “Starlink” service provider entered forcefully into the crisis line between Washington and Kiev, after official Ukrainian reports of a slowdown in service over the past two days, which caused severe damage to the Ukrainian air defense system. The Telegraph newspaper reported that Ukrainian forces were forced to cancel a number of drone missions after slowing down the Starlink service. The newspaper reported that drone operators observed severe interruptions in communications with fast-moving aircraft, lasting between 10 and 20 seconds, which affected the operation of the drones that depend on Starlink to control them during flight.

She pointed out that these interruptions prompted the Ukrainian forces to cancel some missions, as large numbers of drones became easy targets for the Russian forces. Zelensky warned of the repercussions of disrupting Starlink services, describing the step as a “serious mistake” that could lead to major losses, while pointing out that the restrictions imposed on the service in Ukraine hinder the work of drones, including their use in air defense missions.

In another report, the newspaper stated that the slowdown in service affected Ukraine's ability to carry out medium-range strikes, as well as the use of interceptor drones to confront long-range Russian attacks. Although Washington officially denied reducing intelligence cooperation with Kiev or cutting off information support provided by “Starlink,” the American businessman Elon Musk justified this development, the previous day, by saying that “satellite communications are intended for civil and defense purposes only.”

Musk, CEO of SpaceX, explained that “Starlink” is a commercial service owned by the company and subject to its control, pointing out that its use is limited to civilian or defensive activities, and does not include offensive military operations, which he considered not commensurate with the nature of the commercial service.

The businessman, who has fluctuating relations with Trump, confirmed that the two men's negative attitudes toward Zelensky appear identical. On Thursday, Musk renewed his call for the departure of the Ukrainian president, shortly after he confirmed that any slowdown in the satellite Internet service provided by his company in Ukraine was due to the US military, and thus to President Donald Trump.

The head of SpaceX said: “It is time for Zelensky to leave.” He wrote on his “X” platform that if Zelensky remains in office, “the massacre will continue,” adding: “It is time for Zelensky to leave power, and choose a new leadership for Ukraine that is able to advance the peace process.”