Zelenskyy described the attack, in which five missiles struck civilian targets, as "particularly vile" and stressed that early warnings from allies "helps save lives, and this is one of the most critical issues." He wrote on social media that receiving intelligence that warns of ballistic missiles "is precisely what helps prevent people from being killed."
Although the president did not assign blame for the lack of warning, the remarks come after US officials made explicit threats over the weekend to their Ukrainian counterparts that the Trump administration was on the brink of halting intelligence sharing with Kyiv. Ukraine's foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, speaking in Warsaw, indicated that cooperation was continuing and attributed the failure to warn on Monday to a "special type" of Russian weaponry.
The intelligence dispute is part of a broader deterioration in relations. President Donald Trump has demanded that Ukraine stop attacking Russian oil refineries and blamed Zelenskyy for rising US fuel prices. On Friday, Trump announced a deal with Vladimir Putin to import diesel from Russia, dropping previous US sanctions. He also claimed Moscow and Kyiv had agreed an "energy ceasefire" — something Zelenskyy described as "news to me."
On Tuesday, Zelenskyy said his military had not struck Russian oil refineries or energy facilities in the two days following Trump's Sunday announcement. However, he noted that the Kremlin had ignored the supposed ceasefire and continued to bomb Ukraine's energy infrastructure. "Russia did not heed the president … The Russians sent absolutely clear signals that they have no intention of refraining from strikes," he said.
Ukrainian commanders say American intelligence is not needed to identify targets for deep strikes on Russia — oil refineries are marked on Google Maps — but plays a crucial role in warning of Russian ballistic missile launches and the takeoff of long-range bombers. In recent months, Russia has dramatically stepped up its bombardment of Ukrainian towns and cities, and Ukraine has appealed to partners to boost its dwindling supplies of US-made Patriot missiles. According to the Financial Times, the Trump administration has also threatened to suspend the procurement scheme under which European allies buy advanced US systems for Kyiv, including Patriot batteries.