Zelensky Defies Trump as Ukraine Escalates Strikes on Russian Refineries

Zelensky is not stopping. Late last night, Ukrainian drones struck the Novozashtinsk oil terminal in Russia’s Rostov region, a facility with an annual capacity of 3.5 million tons of refined petroleum products. The facility burned. “The refineries will burn. We will not stop,” was the message from Zelensky and his team. The strikes came hours after Donald Trump announced a deal with Vladimir Putin to import Russian diesel into the United States, a move that blindsided Ukraine, broke U.S. law, and produced a volume of fuel so small it would cover less than half a day of global diesel demand.

The Deal and the Deceit

Trump announced on social media that Russia would immediately supply over 300,000 tons of diesel to the American and global marketplace, another 500,000 tons in November, and 1 million tons thereafter. That totals about 2.2 million barrels for October and 3.7 million for November — a few hours of global diesel consumption. The Trump administration simultaneously lifted sanctions on Russian diesel imports, authorizing them through April 2027, even though the 2022 Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act prohibits such imports unless Russia has withdrawn its forces from Ukraine and poses no military threat to any NATO member. Neither condition has been met.