US threatens to halt weapons purchases for Ukraine over strikes on Russian refineries - FT
The Trump administration has threatened to suspend a mechanism for purchasing US weapons for Ukraine and halt intelligence sharing unless Kyiv stops striking Russian oil refineries, the Financial Times reported, citing European officials.
US officials contacted Kyiv and several European capitals over the weekend, pressing for an end to Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, according to European officials who received the calls or were briefed on them.
The warnings included threats to shut down the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), a mechanism through which Ukraine's allies purchase American weapons to meet Kyiv's military needs, as well as to suspend intelligence sharing.
"They are calling Kyiv... they are calling everyone [in Europe]," one official who received a call from a US Defense Department representative told the Financial Times.
The White House declined to confirm or comment on the calls.
The reported pressure comes after President Donald Trump announced on October 9 that he had reached an agreement with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to ease restrictions on Russian diesel exports.
On October 11, Trump also claimed that Ukraine and Russia had agreed to an immediate ceasefire targeting energy infrastructure.
A senior Ukrainian official close to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the Financial Times that Kyiv had not been informed of any such agreement.
"Just now our repair teams are restoring electricity and water supplies in Kyiv [after Russian strikes]. Nobody has heard [of the ceasefire]," the official said.
Zelenskyy subsequently said Ukraine was prepared to refrain from attacking Russian energy infrastructure if Moscow did the same, but noted that Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities had continued.
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