According to Blumenthal and Tillis, Zelenskyy reported that Washington failed to provide early warning before a wave of Russian ballistic missile launches and that Starlink and Starshield services remain degraded at speeds above 130 to 161 kilometers per hour (about 80 to 100 miles per hour), hampering Ukraine's ability to intercept jet-powered Shahed drones. Zelenskyy proposed a 30-day halt to Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries in exchange for US Patriot interceptors to defend against ballistic missiles during that period, an offer that Axios reported US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have shown little interest in.
The appeal follows a weekend clash in which Zelenskyy told Bloomberg that Ukraine is receiving 12 Patriot interceptors a month, about a quarter of the rate under the Biden administration, and accused Washington of pressuring Kyiv to capitulate. Trump defended his decision to waive sanctions under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act—which passed the Senate with 86 votes—saying he wants to keep Moscow at the negotiating table and that Zelenskyy "doesn't want to end this war" while Ukrainian refinery strikes hurt global and US diesel markets.