“Enough Is Enough”: Zelenskyy Lifts Ban on Strikes on Russian Refineries, Breaks Trump’s “Energy Truce”

Three days of the “energy truce” taught Ukraine a brutal lesson in what a one-sided concession looks like.

On October 11, U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly announced an “energy truce” between Russia and Ukraine on his Truth Social platform. Zelenskyy said he learned about it from the social media post. Axios later clarified: by “truce,” Trump meant only a halt to strikes on oil refineries — not a mutual ceasefire on energy infrastructure, not a reciprocal arrangement. Just Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries.

Ukraine agreed. For three days.

What Happened During Those Three Days

Russia did not stop attacking Ukraine’s energy grid. Not for a single day. According to Zelenskyy, on the night of October 14 alone, Russia used 39 ballistic missiles and over 120 drones. On the evening of October 12, five ballistic missiles hit Kyiv without warning — because, Zelenskyy said, the U.S. did not provide early warning data.

And that’s not all.

On October 14, Starlink terminals in Ukraine were throttled — speed limited when moving above 160 km/h. For the military, this means problems with drone operations and frontline communications. Zelenskyy called it “not a technical problem, but a matter of will.” Elon Musk hinted that the Trump administration was involved. The White House denies it.

The picture is clear: Ukraine refrained from hitting Russian refineries for three days. In return, it got ballistic missiles hitting Kyiv without warning, massive strikes on its energy grid, and restricted Starlink.

“The Ban Is Lifted. Enough Is Enough.”

On October 15, in an interview with the Financial Times, Zelenskyy said what had become the inevitable conclusion: “The ban is lifted. Enough is enough.”

He also called Trump’s deal with Putin to supply Russian diesel to the U.S. market “a gift to Putin” and “an investment in war.” And he laid out a condition: Ukraine could agree again to stop hitting refineries if the U.S. provides more Patriot interceptor missiles.

But no one was waiting for conditions. That same night, Ukrainian drones struck the Ryazan refinery. Ryazan Governor Pavel Malkov confirmed a fire at the plant. It was the first strike after the three-day pause.

Reactions: Who Said What

The Kremlin, predictably, accused Ukraine of undermining U.S. “peace efforts.” Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov made the statement almost immediately after Zelenskyy’s announcement. The Kremlin has still not answered why Russia did not observe the “truce” during the three days Ukraine did.

Kaja Kallas, the EU’s top diplomat, was blunt: strikes on Russian refineries are a legitimate way to stop the war. She advised Moscow to simply end it.

The White House has avoided direct comment. Trump has not responded to questions about Russia’s violation of the truce.

What Comes Next

Zelenskyy has publicly documented what happened: Trump’s “energy truce” was one-sided, and Ukraine will no longer participate in a game where rules apply only to one side and violations by the other go unpunished.

Will Ukraine continue to hit Russian refineries? It already has. The question is one of scale and consistency — Zelenskyy did not outline a specific schedule or target list, but the direction is clear.

What about U.S. support? This is the biggest uncertainty. Zelenskyy acknowledged that threats to cut off intelligence sharing were made — though, he said, they were not carried out. Trump insists the exchange continues. The European Commission sees no signs of a halt. But the fact that such threats exist and are discussed publicly is itself a signal.

“Enough is enough” is not just a phrase. It is a public break with the illusion that the United States will protect Ukraine at the expense of its own political and economic interests. And at the expense of Ukrainian lives.