Ukraine’s Zelensky Confirms US Urged Kiev to Avoid Striking Russian Refineries

He added that he told the Americans that he will continue attacks until the US provides Kiev with more and better weapons to continue the war, according to RT news.

Zelensky made the remarks during an interview with the Washington Post.

“The reaction of the US was not positive on this,” Zelensky told the newspaper journalist, adding that Washington was powerless to stop it, however.

“We used our drones. Nobody can say to us you can’t,” he said. The US has long claimed it had a veto over how the weapons it supplied to Kiev would be used.

Ukraine launched drone strikes against several Russian oil facilities earlier this month, claiming they “deliver a symbolic blow by bringing the war closer to Moscow” and disrupt the flow of fuel to the military on the front lines.

The attacks triggered a Russian response in which Ukrainian power plants came under missile attacks.

The news of the Washington demand was broken by the Financial Times a week ago.

The US reportedly cautioned hat strikes against the facilities could raise global oil prices and increase the risk of further retaliation, the Financial Times (FT) reported on March 22, citing unnamed sources in Ukraine's military intelligence and Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

In the past weeks, Ukrainian forces have launched a series of drone strikes aimed at damaging Russia's oil industry. Ukraine has hit oil refineries in multiple regions deep inside the Russian territory.

The sources told the FT that the U.S. is concerned Russia could potentially retaliate by striking energy infrastructure used by the West.