According to the Wall Street Journal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is open to halting attacks on Russian refineries for 100 days. In return, he would like access to Starlink network data covering targets deep inside Russia.
The information was reported on Friday, October 16, by the Wall Street Journal, and Polish media followed. The office of the Ukrainian president had not confirmed it at the time of publication. It is also unclear who would be a party to such an agreement or who would provide the Starlink data.
Background: Talks in Brussels
The report emerged during Zelensky’s visit to Brussels, where he met, among others, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and the heads of EU institutions. Rutte wrote about the importance of an “energy ceasefire”. On Friday, Zelensky wrote on X that there are currently no signals from Russia that it is ready to end the war.
According to Polsat News, the Ukrainian president said at the summit that Vladimir Putin does not want any negotiations now, in any format.
Refineries as Targets
Ukraine has for months been attacking Russian oil infrastructure with drones, as we wrote, among other things, in connection with the attacks of August 2025. In October 2025, Zelensky himself, citing Western intelligence, said the strikes had reduced Russian refining capacity by 20 percent (AP report). Russia, in turn, has for several days been striking Ukraine’s energy sector; on Thursday, the attack hit Lutsk, among other places.
What It Means
For now, this is only a media report, not an official proposal. A possible halt to refinery strikes would affect Russian fuel production and the oil market, but no arrangements have been announced. As of publication, neither the Kremlin nor Washington had responded to the report.
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