“Trump pressure on Ukraine over refinery strikes”

Key points

• Ukraine paused long-range refinery strikes after pressure from US President Donald Trump.
• The pause applies to missions already in motion, with a mid-October decision.
• The unofficial halt is expected to last until after US midterm elections and into November.
• Russia intensified attacks on Ukrainian energy and civilian infrastructure during the period.
• Diplomatic efforts to revive US-backed peace talks were ongoing amid the pause.