World·Europe
Putin tells U.S. officials he will hit Ukraine hard after refinery drone strikes
Russian President Vladimir Putin privately told U.S. officials he intends to escalate attacks on Ukraine after Ukrainian drone strikes hit nearly all of Russia's main oil refineries, the New York Post reported Friday, citing an American official. The official said Putin conveyed that "now it's our turn, and we're going at them," and that Putin "is now going to hit" Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy "hard." President Trump has urged Ukraine to halt energy-infrastructure strikes, blaming them for higher diesel prices; Ukrainian attacks have damaged an estimated 27 of Russia's 32 largest refineries this year, the Post reported, while Zelenskiy told the U.N. that Ukrainians expect a harsh winter and will "make it painful for Russia too."
- New York PostPutin plots payback for Ukraine drone attacks on oil refineries, tells US: ‘Now it’s our turn’