Zelenskiy says Ukraine is continuing attacks on Russia's oil refining sector

Ukraine is continuing ​to launch attacks on targets associated ​with Russia's oil sector ‌in response ​to Russian strikes on energy targets, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday.

Zelenskiy made the comment on Telegram ‌four days before the scheduled resumption of talks with the United States and Russia aimed at moving towards a resolution of the more than 4-1/2-year-old war against Russia. ‌This will be the first such meeting since February. "The operation against the ‌Russian oil refining sector is continuing -- in response to Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities," Zelenskiy said in a post following discussion of a report on Ukrainian strikes on Russian targets.

He ⁠said ​Ukrainian power plants, ⁠energy networks, heating systems and water supply systems were subject to "constant attacks" by Russian drones and ⁠missiles. "The Russians have not changed the nature of their aggressive actions, have refused the ​de-escalation steps that our partners talked about, and are counting on launching ⁠further strikes."

Russian officials reported several strikes on oil industry targets in the past week without Ukrainian ⁠officials specifically ​claiming responsibility for them, including in central Samara Region. Yaroslavl, north of Moscow, and industrial facilities in Ryazan, south of the capital, were also struck. US ⁠President Donald Trump has asked Ukraine several times to halt attacks on Russian ⁠refineries, saying the ⁠strikes pushed up diesel prices. Zelenskiy has said that Ukraine is ready to stop the attacks if Russian strikes on ‌energy targets ‌are halted.