Ukraine pauses oil refinery strikes after US pressure

Ukraine's armed forces have paused strikes on Russian oil refineries following pressure from US President Donald Trump, according to The Wall Street Journal. The unofficial halt began last week amid a crisis in US-Ukraine relations. The pause is expected to last until after the US midterm elections, possibly later in November. Ukrainian units were informed in mid-October to suspend the refinery campaign after completing ongoing operations, though no formal ban was issued. Kyiv chose restraint due to the delicate diplomatic situation, while continuing strikes on other target types in Russia. Ukraine's dependence on Starlink, US intelligence sharing, and Patriot interceptor missiles has made it vulnerable to American pressure. President Zelensky had previously proposed an energy truce, but Russia continues escalating missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure. The last major strikes on Russia's oil industry occurred on October 18.