Ukraine puts Russian refinery strikes 'on pause' amid Trump pressure

The unofficial pause is expected to remain in place until after the US midterm elections and could extend further into November

Ukraine has suspended its strikes on Russian oil refineries following pressure from US President Donald Trump, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the military operations.According to the report, Ukrainian units conducting long-range strikes were informed in mid-October that the campaign targeting Russian refineries was effectively on hold. They were asked to complete missions that were already underway before suspending further attacks, according to Reuters.The unofficial pause is expected to remain in place until after the US midterm elections and could extend further into November, the report said.Meanwhile, Russia has intensified attacks on Ukraine's energy and civilian infrastructure.The reported suspension comes amid renewed efforts to revive US-backed negotiations aimed at ending Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II.Relations between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have deteriorated in recent weeks, with the US President increasingly frustrated over Kyiv's attacks on Russian energy infrastructure as diesel prices hit record highs.Ukraine had previously resisted calls to halt the strikes, arguing that its long-range drone campaign was its only viable response to years of Russian bombardment.