Zelensky offered the US a pause in strikes on refineries in exchange for Patriots and addressed senators - Axios
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky proposed a new arrangement to the United States: Kyiv is ready to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries for 30 days if Washington supplies Ukraine with Patriot interceptor missiles within that period. The US side has not yet shown readiness to support this initiative.
Zelensky announced this on October 19 during a video meeting with a bipartisan group of US senators and members of the House of Representatives. Details of the negotiations were published by Axios, which obtained a recording of the conversation from Ukrainian officials.
According to the president, he had already discussed the new arrangement with Donald Trump's special representative Steve Witkoff and the US president's advisor Jared Kushner.
The proposed mechanism involves a temporary halt to Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries in exchange for American Patriot missiles needed to defend against ballistic attacks during that same period.
Zelensky noted that the idea of such an exchange was previously raised by American congressmen. However, he said, Washington has still not demonstrated readiness to ensure the corresponding supplies.
The president reminded that Ukraine also agreed to a mutual halt to strikes on energy infrastructure. However, Russia refused this offer and continued to attack Ukrainian energy facilities.
During the conversation with American legislators, Zelensky also raised the issue of restrictions on military aid and intelligence sharing.
According to him, over the last week Ukraine three times did not receive early warning from American partners about Russian ballistic attacks. Kyiv has not yet received a clear explanation for these disruptions.
In addition, restrictions remain in the operation of the Starlink and Starshield satellite systems used by Ukrainian military. Zelensky stressed that this complicates countering Russian strike drones, particularly jet-powered ones.
Another problem the president named was the delay in supplying Patriot interceptor missiles and AIM-9X for NASAMS air defense systems. According to him, NATO countries have already financed these purchases, but the necessary permits from the US Department of Defense have still not been issued.
Zelensky told senators that Ukraine has practically exhausted its stockpiles of Patriot missiles received from American partners. He suggested that the delays might be the result of a political decision to slow down military support.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration denies imposing new restrictions. The US president told journalists on October 19 that the US continues to provide Ukraine with intelligence. He also promised to find out who made the decision on restrictions on Starlink operations.
After the meeting, Senator Tom Tillis from the Republican Party and Senator Richard Blumenthal from the Democratic Party confirmed support for Ukraine. They stressed that disruptions in satellite communications, intelligence and air defense missile supplies make it harder to defend Ukrainian cities from Russian attacks.
Zelensky's new proposal came amid deteriorating relations between Kyiv and Washington after the talks in Miami. The Trump administration insists on ending Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, linking them to rising fuel prices.
It is currently unknown whether the White House will agree to the proposed exchange and whether deliveries of already paid-for interceptor missiles will be unblocked.
Based on materials from: Axios, Office of the President of Ukraine, Official statement by US senators
