Ukraine pauses strikes on Russian refineries after pressure from Trump

Ukraine’s military has paused its strikes on Russian oil refineries after pressure from US President Donald Trump, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people with knowledge of the operations.
Ukrainian units carrying out long-range strikes were told in mid-October that the campaign against refineries was effectively on hold once missions already in motion were completed, the Journal reported.
The unofficial pause is expected to last until after the US midterm elections and potentially deeper into November, it added. Russia has meanwhile stepped up attacks on Ukrainian energy and civilian infrastructure.
The news of a pause comes amid renewed efforts to revive US-backed peace talks to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War Two.