Zelensky reportedly ready to halt energy strikes in return for extended Starlink access

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signalled his readiness to halt airstrikes on Russian oil refineries for 100 days if Washington agrees to extend Ukraine’s access to the Starlink satellite network by 300 kilometres into Russian territory, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

The proposal was presented to Zelensky by US Senators Roger Wicker and Kevin Cramer during a visit to Kyiv they made on 9 October, the WSJ said, adding that the agreement could be the first step towards resuming the stalled peace process.

Extending Ukraine’s access to Starlink coverage by approximately 300km into Russian territory would allow its military to attack Russian missile and drone launch sites. In exchange, Kyiv would agree to pause its campaign of strikes on Russian energy facilities for 100 days.

Whether or not Trump will agree to a deal with Zelensky after spending much of the past week attacking him is another question altogether. Though the pair have always had a volatile relationship, Zelensky’s public criticism of Trump’s decision to allow the import of Russian diesel to the US in breach of international sanctions last week appears to have irreparably damaged months of diplomatic efforts to keep them on good terms.

In an interview with US media outlet Newsmax on Thursday, a visibly infuriated Trump described himself as “not a big fan” of Zelensky and said that he was “not a good guy” for the US to deal with. He then blamed Ukrainian airstrikes on Russian oil refineries for sky-high global gas prices caused by his own war with Iran.