The Trump administration is warning that it could cut off intelligence sharing and weapons sales to Europe for Ukraine if Kyiv does not stop its deep strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, multiple outlets reported Monday.
According to CNN, the State Department and the Pentagon delivered the warnings to officials in Ukraine and Europe over the weekend. The U.S. military communicated the threat directly to Ukrainian commanders, the outlet reported.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.
The Financial Times was the first to report on the warning. The outlet reported that the threats included cutting off the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, a mechanism used to buy American weapons for Ukraine. The initiative is managed by NATO and is used to procure U.S.-produced weapons that are then sent to Kyiv.
An official who received a call from a U.S. defense official described the scope of the outreach to the Financial Times.
“They are calling Kyiv … they are calling everyone [in Europe],” the official said.
The warnings from Washington come on the heels of President Donald Trump’s announcement late last week that the U.S. would purchase 300,000 tons of Russian diesel. The move is aimed at lowering fuel prices, which have spiked as a result of the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran.
The president has made clear where he places the blame for rising diesel costs. Trump insists that Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil refineries have caused U.S. diesel prices to surge ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has slammed the diesel deal, arguing that it provides Russia with the funding it needs to continue its war in Ukraine.
Then on Sunday, Trump caught Ukraine by surprise, announcing that Kyiv and Moscow had agreed to what he called an “energy ceasefire.”
Speaking at the Warsaw Security Forum in Poland, Zelensky said Ukraine had learned about the deal through news reports.
In a post on X, Zelensky said Ukraine supported the proposal. However, he made it clear that Kyiv would not agree to stop its retaliatory strikes unless Russia also halted its attacks on Ukraine’s energy system.
On Monday, Zelensky said that Russia has continued to strike Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, including a power plant in Kharkiv.
The developments mark a significant escalation in the pressure campaign from Washington. By targeting both intelligence sharing and the NATO-managed mechanism for purchasing American weapons, the administration is putting key elements of Western support for Ukraine on the table.
The warnings were not limited to Kyiv. According to the official who spoke to the Financial Times, U.S. officials were reaching out across Europe as well, underscoring how broadly the administration is pressing its message.
At the center of the dispute is the question of Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil refineries. The president has tied those strikes directly to higher diesel prices at home, while Zelensky has framed the attacks as retaliation and has argued that the U.S. purchase of Russian diesel helps bankroll Moscow’s war.
With Trump announcing an energy ceasefire and Zelensky reporting continued Russian attacks on Ukrainian power facilities, the standoff between Washington and Kyiv over the strikes shows no signs of being resolved.
