Ukraine has restarted long-range drone strikes against Russian energy infrastructure, bypassing pressure from US President Donald Trump to halt the attacks ahead of the upcoming United States midterm elections. According to Russian state media, overnight strikes targeted the Kstovo refinery in the Nizhny Novgorod region, following a major assault on a Rosneft-owned facility in Samara oblast.
The renewal of attacks comes just days after a ceasefire in the occupied town of Oleshky concluded on Sunday night. While previous reports indicated Kyiv had temporarily yielded to White House demands to pause bombings on Russian oil sites, Ukrainian officials disputed those claims, maintaining they never agreed to such restrictions.
Concurrently, Kremlin officials stated that Russian leader Vladimir Putin remains open to a direct phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, though Moscow asserted that European supporters of Ukraine should be excluded. Despite potential communication openings, broader diplomatic breakthroughs remain unlikely due to Russia's ongoing demands for territorial concessions in eastern and southern Ukraine.
