Allies failed to warn Ukraine of impending missile attack, Zelensky says
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A person is assisted at the site of an apartment building damaged by a Russian missile strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Oct 13.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Ukraine says allies gave no warning before a Russian ballistic missile attack on Kyiv, and Zelensky called the strike “particularly vile” as five missiles hit civilian infrastructure.
- Trump said the US is still sharing intelligence and working with Kyiv and Moscow, while Ukraine said it has stopped attacking Russian refineries since his “energy ceasefire” announcement.
- Russia hit transport and logistics instead of energy sites overnight, killing four in Kharkiv and wounding many, as Ukraine warned that US early-warning intelligence is vital to save lives.
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KYIV - Ukraine received no prior warning from its Western partners about a Russian ballistic missile attack on its capital, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct 13, as Kyiv comes under intense US pressure to halt attacks on Russian refineries.
Russia hit no Ukrainian energy targets overnight for the first time since US President Donald Trump’s surprise Oct 11 announcement of an “energy ceasefire”, but hammered transport and logistics with ballistic missiles and drones.
Reuters and other media have reported that US officials have threatened to cut off intelligence sharing and weapons sales to Ukraine unless it stops attacking Russian refineries. Kyiv relies heavily on US intelligence for early warnings of missile strikes, experts and officials say.
Speaking to reporters on Oct 13, Trump said Washington continues to share intelligence with Ukraine and is working with both Kyiv and Moscow to bring an end to the war. “We are helping them, and we are sharing intel,” he said.
Trump was asked whether Russia had violated the ceasefire and answered: “I’ll let you know about that later.”
Asked if Russia could use proceeds from the diesel deal to purchase more bombs, Trump sidestepped the question. “That’s a diesel deal, not for us. That’s being released into the world. That’s not being released to us.”
Zelensky said Ukraine had not targeted Russian refineries since Trump’s announcement on Oct 11.
He said Kyiv had not received the usual warning from allies of ballistic missile launches before a “particularly vile” attack on Kyiv overnight, in which five missiles hit civilian infrastructure.
“Intelligence on Russian ballistic missile launches helps save lives,” Zelensky said on X, “and this is one of the most critical issues.” He stopped short of linking the lack of warning to any US threats.
Air raid alerts sound in Kyiv only after blasts are heard
Air alerts sounded in Kyiv on the night of Oct 12 only after several explosions had already ripped through the city.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha tried to calm anxiety by saying Ukraine was still receiving US military intelligence. Speaking at the Warsaw Security Forum, he said the delay had been due to the specifics of the weaponry that Russia had used.
As Ukraine fights a larger, richer and better-equipped enemy, Kyiv sees the strikes on Russian oil refineries as one of its few instruments to reduce Moscow’s ability to fight.
Yet Trump has repeatedly blamed Ukrainian attacks - which prompted Moscow to suspend diesel exports - for a sharp rise in US fuel prices this year, a headache for his Republican party ahead of Congressional midterm elections in three weeks.
Most analysts, however, say Trump’s war in Iran has had a far greater impact on the price rise.
Russia had struck six Ukrainian energy sites on Oct 12. It was unclear whether Moscow had deliberately avoided energy infrastructure overnight and on Oct 13.
Emergency employees work at the site of a residential area damaged during a Russian drone strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Oct 12.
PHOTO: REUTERS
A Kremlin spokesman, asked about the energy ceasefire, would only say that contacts were ongoing, but declined to provide any further details.
In his nightly video address posted on X, Zelensky said he had sent proposals to US officials with a view to new meetings in coming days with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on ways to resolve the conflict.
He said Ukraine supported Trump’s announcement of an energy truce provided that Russia observed it.
“We need to work for peace, we need to look for ways to do the proper actions. Ukraine is ready for meetings,” he said.
Earlier, Zelensky reiterated Ukraine’s position, saying that Kyiv was ready for reciprocal steps to de-escalate, calling on partners to pressure Russia.
A Ukrainian delegation held talks in the United States last week and people familiar with the meeting said Witkoff and Kushner told them that a deal to allow Russian diesel exports was part of a bid to draw Russia back to negotiations.
Ukraine says it now has cards to play
Russian strikes killed four people in Ukraine’s second city, Kharkiv, and dozens were wounded across the country, Ukrainian officials said.
The Ukrainian air force said it was investigating the failure to receive surveillance warnings before the attack.
Fabian Hoffmann, missile expert at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies, said Ukraine’s European allies had “very limited” ability to replace US early-warning intelligence about Russian missile strikes:
“Ukraine relies on the so-called Space-Based Infrared System which the US deploys - and the US system is really second to none and only the United States can provide that.”
Sybiha said the US request to halt attacks on Russian refineries showed how Ukraine’s position had strengthened, alluding to Trump’s comment to Zelensky in a tense Oval Office meeting in 2025 that “you don’t have the cards”.
“In less than two years, we have gone from ‘having no cards’ to ‘not playing your cards’. That is an achievement,” Sybiha said.
Zelensky reiterated Ukraine’s position, saying that Kyiv was ready for reciprocal steps to de-escalate, calling on partners to pressure Russia. REUTERS