Ukraine pauses oil refinery strikes after US pressure, reports say

Ukraine has paused its strikes on Russian oil refineries following weeks of 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 into November. Ukrainian units were instructed in mid-October to suspend the campaign after completing ongoing operations, though President Volodymyr Zelensky said there is no formal ban, only a request for caution. Ukraine's reliance on Starlink, US intelligence, and Patriot interceptor missiles has made it vulnerable to American pressure. Zelensky has previously proposed an energy truce, but Russia continues its missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure.