The United States has threatened to block arms deliveries to Ukraine over its attacks on Russian oil refineries, as the Trump administration lobbies European capitals and Kyiv to halt strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, according to a report from the Financial Times.
The warning was carried on social media by the account @FirstSquawk, which wrote that the U.S. had "threatened to block arms for Ukraine over its attacks on Russian refineries" and was "lobbying European capitals and Kyiv in an attempt to end the attacks on Russian oil refineries." A separate post from the same account repeated that the U.S. lobbied European capitals and Kyiv to halt the attacks.
Reporting on the same subject indicates that U.S. envoys threatened to cut Ukraine's intelligence access over Russian refinery strikes, with Ukrainian officials saying that President Donald Trump's envoys raised the prospect of suspending U.S. intelligence sharing if Kyiv continued attacking Russian oil refineries. A U.S. official denies that any threat was made.
The warnings appear to follow a reported diesel deal between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, though the details of that arrangement have not been confirmed. The deal has not yet been confirmed by Ukraine or Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to the pressure. Asked on "This Week" how long Ukraine can continue to defend itself as the war with Russia approaches five years, Zelenskyy said the war has to end. He also defended Ukraine's right to strike Russian oil refineries after President Trump demanded that Ukraine stop striking them.
Zelenskyy's comments came just minutes after Trump claimed an energy ceasefire had been agreed. Zelenskyy said the energy ceasefire was "news to me," according to The Independent, which reported that the deal had not been confirmed by either Ukraine or Russia.
The exchange unfolded against a backdrop of continued fighting. A Russian strike near a grocery store in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, killed three people and injured nine, officials said. An attack on Ivano-Frankivsk in western Ukraine killed two, according to the mayor.
Meanwhile, a NATO official said Russia suffered over fifty thousand casualties in Ukraine last month, including up to twenty-eight thousand killed, compared with about five thousand Ukrainian casualties. Ukrainian forces have also recaptured over one hundred twenty-five square kilometers of territory.
The Financial Times report was amplified across social media, with the account @FirstSquawk carrying the claim in multiple posts. The same account also carried the NATO casualty figures and the reports of Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities. The Independent picked up the story, noting Zelenskyy's response to Trump's claim of an energy ceasefire. Axios, via Ukrainska Pravda, reported that U.S. envoys threatened to cut intelligence access, while a U.S. official denied any threat was made.
The posts and coverage do not provide a direct quote from the Trump administration confirming the arms block threat. The claim rests on reporting by the Financial Times and subsequent accounts. The U.S. official's denial of the intelligence threat is also reported.
Next News Network could not independently verify the claims that the United States threatened to block arms for Ukraine or that U.S. envoys threatened to cut intelligence access.
Our Take
The Trump administration is right to demand that Ukraine stop striking Russian oil refineries. These attacks risk escalating the war and driving up global energy prices, which hurts American families. President Trump's reported diesel deal with Putin is a step toward stabilizing energy markets, but Ukraine's continued strikes undermine that effort.
Zelenskyy's defense of the strikes is predictable, but the United States cannot allow its weapons to be used in a way that provokes Russia and destabilizes global oil supplies. Cutting off arms may seem harsh, but it is a necessary lever to force Kyiv to the negotiating table. The war has to end, as Zelenskyy himself said. The American people have spent hundreds of billions of dollars on this conflict, and it is time for Europe to step up and for Ukraine to stop escalating.
The denial from a U.S. official about intelligence threats is noted, but the pattern is clear: the administration is using all available tools to rein in Ukraine's military actions. This is not about abandoning Ukraine; it is about preventing a wider war and protecting American interests. The mainstream media will frame this as a betrayal, but real leadership means making tough decisions. President Trump is doing exactly that.
