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President Zelensky has confirmed that some western allies are calling on him to scale back Ukraine’s attacks on Russian energy infrastructure amid rising global fuel prices.

Some shit you should know before you dig in: As Russia has slowly gained territorial momentum in Ukraine, Ukraine’s military has increasingly relied on strikes against Russian energy infrastructure to choke off the revenue stream funding Russia’s war economy. Over the past three years, Kyiv has steadily ramped up long-range drone and naval attacks targeting oil terminals, refineries, and export routes, aiming to reduce Russia’s ability to fund the war. These operations have had a measurable impact, with estimates suggesting that at times roughly 40% of Russia’s oil export capacity has been disrupted, forcing shutdowns, delays, and costly logistical adjustments. Adding to the pressure, Western sanctions have made it significantly harder for Russia to access critical equipment and technology needed to repair and maintain these facilities, slowing recovery times and increasing operational strain across its energy sector.

What’s going on now: Zelensky said several countries backing Ukraine have raised concerns behind the scenes about continuing strikes on Russia’s energy sector, pointing to growing pressure from rising fuel costs worldwide. He explained that these concerns have intensified as disruptions tied to conflict in Iran and instability around the Strait of Hormuz have tightened global supply, making any further hits to Russian exports more consequential for the world economy.

Zelensky made clear, however, that Ukraine views its campaign as a direct response to Russia’s own targeting of Ukrainian energy systems, stating that he would only consider stopping if Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to do the same.

Despite this external pressure, Ukraine has continued (and in some cases intensified) its strikes on key Russian energy assets. In recent days, Ukrainian drones have repeatedly hit the major oil export terminal at Ust-Luga, a critical hub handling hundreds of thousands of barrels per day, with fires breaking out and operations disrupted after multiple attacks in less than a week. Ukrainian officials claimed the strikes caused significant damage and temporarily knocked out a substantial portion of the facility’s capacity.

Russia, meanwhile, has continued to retaliate by striking Ukraine’s own energy infrastructure, including power plants and fuel facilities, in an effort to cripple electricity and heating supplies. These attacks have caused widespread damage and outages.