Zelenski attacks Trump's Russian diesel deal as SpaceX cuts Starlink for Ukrainian forces
Kyiv says the diesel deal gives Putin an easy win, while Starlink restrictions disrupt Ukrainian drone missions and Washington weighs a pause in intelligence sharing.
Diesel deal and Zelenski's criticism
Donald Trump said over the weekend of 10 and 11 October that he had reached an arrangement with Moscow on Russian diesel imports into the United States. In an interview with Piers Morgan Uncensored, Volodimir Zelenski said Vladimir Putin was laughing, because the deal is an easy victory for the Kremlin leader. He said he felt betrayed and argued that if the US president takes a middle position, he must hold it consistently rather than tilt toward the wrong side. Zelenski also questioned the advice Trump receives from people close to him.
Energy truce questions
Trump has not publicly set out the details of the energy truce he announced at the weekend. A White House adviser, cited by Axios, said the arrangement applies only to oil refineries, not to the whole energy network. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said Moscow did not know what the truce involved and asked whether its terms had been specified. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said Russia had hit several energy facilities in Ukraine overnight, so it remains unclear which installations would be protected.
Starlink cut hits frontline missions
Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to Zelenski, said Starlink terminals used by Ukraine's military were restricted abruptly overnight from Tuesday, 13 October, into Wednesday, 14 October, without warning to the armed forces. He said the restriction halted several missions and linked it to the diesel deal and to US pressure over strikes on Russian refineries. On Wednesday Ukraine's Defence Ministry blamed SpaceX for unilaterally limiting Starshield terminals, a military-grade service, which complicated drone missions and reduced logistics, reconnaissance and signal relay at the front. In the Piers Morgan interview, Zelenski said he was sure SpaceX knew the effects of the cut and claimed some interception systems depend on Starlink links. Starlink has more than 13 million subscribers, while Starshield is built for government and national security clients.
- Trump announces an energy truce and an agreement on Russian diesel
- Trump says the United States continues to share information with Kyiv
- Starlink access for Ukrainian forces restricted without warning, per adviser Serhii Beskrestnov
- Ukraine's Defence Ministry blames SpaceX for restricting Starshield terminals
Musk, Warsaw and the Kremlin
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski asked Elon Musk on X on Wednesday whether he was playing politics with his products. He reminded Musk that Poland pays the Starlink subscription that Ukraine uses. Musk had not responded immediately. The ironic tone echoed a 2025 public dispute between Sikorski, Musk and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in which Musk told the minister to be quiet. The Kremlin said it knew nothing about the Starlink restriction but would prefer that Ukraine not use Starlink for military purposes.
Intelligence sharing under review
Trump said on Tuesday, 13 October, that the United States continues to share information with Kyiv. Semafor, citing an administration official, reported that limiting intelligence is under intense discussion inside the White House, though no agreement has been reached. CIA director John Ratcliffe is reportedly opposed to suspending the support, and the official suggested Trump could restrict information used for strikes inside Russia. On Wednesday an unnamed US official told AFP there had been no change in intelligence sharing with allies and partners, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte made a similar statement in Estonia. A senior Ukrainian official told AFP that Washington had threatened to cut intelligence if Kyiv did not stop attacks on Russian refineries.
London and the peace framework
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he wants to repair relations between Ukraine and the United States before meeting Zelenski at Downing Street. At Prime Minister's Questions he avoided criticising Trump directly, even when Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey called the diesel deal another betrayal. Burnham said Zelenski would not leave Britain empty-handed, and new military and financial support would be drawn up in the coming weeks. Finance minister John Healey will use the International Monetary Fund meetings to press for a ban on Russian liquefied natural gas imports.
According to an American official cited by the Washington Post, the United States and Europe are drafting a joint plan for a broad settlement built on economic benefits and security guarantees. Kyiv has been asked for detailed cost estimates for a financing mechanism backed by the World Bank and BlackRock. The plan also proposes energy exports from Russia to Europe at reduced prices, with revenues split between Kyiv and Moscow, and a timetable for lifting sanctions. Its hardest element freezes military positions along the current line of contact, and Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, special envoys, coordinate the process.
