Zelenskyy confirmed the policy shift in a London interview with the Financial Times, noting that a three-day moratorium on attacks had failed to yield a reciprocal de-escalation from Moscow. Instead, Russian forces intensified their campaign against critical energy sites in Kyiv and Kharkiv. The Ukrainian leader criticized the U.S. for prioritizing business deals with Moscow while the energy grid remains under fire.

Beyond the immediate tactical pivot, Zelenskyy expressed alarm regarding the withdrawal of U.S. intelligence support and the degradation of Starlink satellite communications. These friction points coincide with broader economic tensions, as the Trump administration continues to pressure Kyiv to preserve Russian refining capacity to stabilize global diesel markets. While oil prices dipped recently on reports that the U.S. might ease sanctions on the shadow tanker fleet to alleviate supply constraints, the escalating conflict suggests that the energy sector remains a primary theater of the war.