Zelenskyy: Sell Us Patriot Missiles, We'll Stop Strikes On Russian Refineries

This article was originally published in Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). Read the original article. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country would cease strikes on Russian oil refineries -- as demanded by US President Donald Trump -- if the United States quickly provides Kyiv with Patriot air defense missiles.

Zelenskyy, in an interview with Fox News in Kyiv on November 1, said he had conducted "different and several" discussions with the US president and his aides on the matter.

"We [said] we can't not respond after Russia's attack on our energy [facilities], after Russia is killing our people, attacks on our electricity, gas, refineries, on everything," he said, speaking in English.

"We said that if you want us not to attack Russia's refineries, they have not to attack our energy system. Another alternative: Give us Patriot missiles. We will find money; [it's] not just aid.... We will pay for it."

Zelenskyy said if Washington provided the missile systems for one month, Ukraine would cease attacks on Russian refineries for the same amount of time.

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Could Take 'Several Years'

The US State Department on October 30 announced the approval of a sale of Patriot air defense interceptors to Ukraine worth $2.1 billion to strengthen Kyiv's defenses against increasing Russian aerial attacks.

Zelenskyy, however, has warned that it could take "several years" for the 500 missile interceptors to arrive.

Zelenskyy wrote in a social media post that "500 PAC-3 interceptors is a substantial number" and could form an effective defense package this winter, but he added that "deliveries may begin only in a few years."

"We are asking our American partners to find a solution for the time when there is a real danger and a real need to use PAC-3 interceptors," the Ukrainian president said.

Alex Plitsas, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and a former Pentagon official, said the Patriots announcement was significant but would not address Ukraine's immediate needs

He said Russia's continued attacks on energy infrastructure were aimed at terrorizing civilians and forcing Ukraine to capitulate by freezing its population during winter.

The US-designed Patriot PAC-3 interceptor is one of the few Western weapons capable of shooting down the ballistic missiles Russia has been firing at Ukrainian cities.

Trump, facing political headwinds over soaring energy prices at home, has called for an energy cease-fire, demanding Russia and Ukraine cease strikes on such infrastructure.

Russia launched its unprovoked full-scale invasion on Ukraine in February 2022 and has resisted calls for a cease-fire. It has stepped up strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, along with attacks on civilian sites, as the potentially brutal winter months approach.

Kyiv has retaliated against Russian energy infrastructure that it says is used to fuel its war on Ukraine. Energy shortages and long lines at gas stations have been reported across Russia at various times in recent months.

'We Escaped Hell': Oleshky Residents Reach Ukraine After Years In War-Torn City

Meanwhile, a localized truce in the region of the Russian-occupied southern Ukrainian city of Oleshky ended late on November 1 after Moscow refused the offer of an extension, Ukrainian officials said.

Ukraine's General Staff claimed on November 2 that Russian forces used the cease-fire in Oleshky to reinforce their positions, rotate troops, and deliver additional ammunition.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov referred questions about Kyiv's allegations to the Russian Defense Ministry but suggested Ukrainian troops had also used the cease-fire to regroup, calling it "standard practice."

British broadcaster Sky News reported that a Ukrainian unit had granted its team exclusive access to its drone reconnaissance command center in southern Ukraine, providing a real-time view of their long-range drone footage.

The footage showed Russian troops deploying heavy military equipment and delivering supplies during the cease-fire in Russian-occupied territory in and around Oleshky, Sky News reported.

"Before, they wouldn't even dream of traveling along the road, day or night, in bad weather or under any other conditions. Now they have the opportunity to do so," a Ukrainian military officer told the broadcaster.

Russia resumed attacks on Ukraine's Kherson region following the end of the local cease-fire, Kyiv said on November 2. Oleshky sits across the Dnieper River from the Ukrainian-controlled regional capital, Kherson.

Russia's Strikes Continue

Russian forces struck central Kherson with a drone, hitting a medical facility, said regional military administration head Yaroslav Shanko.

Strikes over the past 24 hours also targeted the eastern Kharkiv region, where 19 people were injured, including a child, according to Ukrainian authorities. Multiple Russian strikes were also reported in the Zhytomyr and Odesa regions, with nine people injured.

In the Sumy region, a man was killed and his wife was seriously injured as a result of a Russian strike on a residential area in Mykolayiv district on November 2, said Oleh Hryhorov, head of the regional military administration.

In Russia, an apparent drone strike hit an oil pumping station in the Samara region, sending up plumes of thick smoke visible from 10 kilometers away, according to satellite imagery. The Samara facility is a key hub, receiving oil from several pipelines and sending on westward.

The Ukrainian military has not commented on the attacks.

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Signs Of Cyberwar?

Meanwhile, there were signs of a potential cyberwar heating up between the two countries, although details remained scarce.

Ukraine's air force on November 1 said it suspected the country's air raid alert system had been hacked but that systems had been restored to normal.

"The Air Alarm application appears to have been subjected to hostile interference," Ukraine's Air Force said in a statement on November 1. "Stay calm and follow our updates on our channel."

Separately, Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry early on November 2 said a cyberattack on its online app caused false information to be spread to the public.

"Attention! The mobile application of the Emergencies Ministry of Russia has been subjected to a massive cyberattack, enabling attackers to send false information to the public," the ministry wrote on Telegram.

There was no indication if the two incidents were linked, but Russian websites in recent days have reported multiple cyberattacks.

[Wc/GS]

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