Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky renewed his commitment to halting attacks on Russian oil refineries, a key demand of US President Donald Trump, provided Washington supplies it with Patriot interceptor missiles.
Zelensky clarified in an interview with US "Fox News" channel yesterday, Sunday, that he had held many talks with Trump and his team on this issue, noting that Kyiv would stop its attacks on Russian refineries for a month if Washington supplies the missiles during the same period.
For his part, Zelensky said: "We asked not to stand idly by while Russian attacks on our energy facilities resulted in the killing of our people and targeted electricity, gas, and refineries, among other sectors. We informed them that if they want us to stop targeting Russian oil refineries, they must refrain from attacking our energy system."
He added: "There is another option, which is supplying us with Patriot missiles and securing the necessary funding for them, rather than limiting assistance to aid alone."
US Demands and Deal Details
Trump is calling on Moscow and Kyiv to cease attacking each other's energy facilities. Patriot missiles are among the most important weapons Ukraine uses to intercept Russian drones and missiles.
The Trump administration agreed last Friday to a potential deal to sell Ukraine 500 Patriot missiles, according to the US State Department, but Zelensky warned that missile delivery could take years.
Declining Stocks
Ukrainian authorities had warned for weeks about the dwindling stock of their interceptor missiles. The Ukrainian president proposed that the United States and its European allies supply Ukraine with missiles from their current stockpiles, with these quantities to be replenished later through the new deal.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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