Zelenskiy: "We will hold off on Russian refineries for 30 days; meanwhile, protect our skies with Patriots"
UKRAINE
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Oct. 19 (local time) met by video with a bipartisan, bicameral U.S. congressional delegation and raised an option under which Ukraine would halt strikes on Russian oil refineries for 30 days in exchange for the United States protecting Ukraine's skies with Patriot interceptor missiles over the same period. According to an account of the meeting released by Ukraine's presidential office that night, Zelenskiy thanked the U.S. lawmakers who put forward the idea. At the same meeting, Zelenskiy said Ukraine had received no advance warning from partners of the first wave of a ballistic missile attack the previous night. The presidential office on the morning of Oct. 20 also released an account of a phone call between Zelenskiy and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The call covered ballistic missile interceptors, early warning and the Starlink and Starshield satellite communications issue.
Zelenskiy discloses 30-day swap idea raised by U.S. lawmakers
Zelenskiy said at the meeting, "We could stop strikes on Russian oil refineries for 30 days" (Ми могли б на 30 днів припинити удари по російських нафтопереробних заводах). He went on, "And in return we would expect America to help us protect our skies during those same 30 days" (А натомість очікували б, що Америка допоможе нам захищати наше небо протягом тих самих 30 днів), adding, "specifically with interceptor missiles for Patriot" (саме ракетами-перехоплювачами для Patriot).
The option first came from the U.S. Congress. Zelenskiy said, "I want to thank the members of the U.S. Congress who put forward this idea" (я хочу подякувати членам Конгресу США, які висунули цю ідею). However, he said, "Unfortunately, we have not heard of readiness to help with this option either" (Але, на жаль, ми не почули про готовність допомогти із цим варіантом також).
The presidential office said the lawmakers promised Ukraine they would support efforts that would help end Russia's war of aggression. The two sides agreed that working teams would follow up on all topics discussed at the meeting. Zelenskiy also briefed them on his contacts with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, representatives of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Zelenskiy says Russian leader rejected proposal to halt energy attacks
According to the presidential office, Zelenskiy said at the meeting that "the Russian leader rejected the proposal to stop attacks on Ukrainian energy" (російський очільник відмовився від пропозиції припинити обстріли української енергетики). Zelenskiy explained that the condition of the proposal was "that Ukraine stops striking Russian oil refineries" (за умови, що Україна припинить завдавати ударів по російських нафтопереробних заводах).
In a post on his official Telegram channel on the evening of Oct. 9, 10 days earlier, Zelenskiy said, "Ukraine will not burn Russian oil refining if Russia does not destroy our energy" (Україна не буде спалювати російську нафтопереробку, якщо Росія не буде руйнувати нашу енергетику), proposing "mirror de-escalation steps" (дзеркальних деескалаційних кроків). The same post also contained the claim that "allowing Russia to sell petroleum products is an investment in a war that must be ended, not prolonged" (Дозвіл Росії продавати нафтопродукти – це інвестиція у війну, яку треба закінчити, а не продовжити) and the sentence "There is never peace through weakness" (Миру завдяки слабкості ніколи не буває).
At the Oct. 19 meeting, Zelenskiy also reported a Russian Shahed drone attack on Kharkiv region. The presidential office said the attack killed six people, including a mother and a child who had just turned one. Zelenskiy said, "This is how Russia responds to sanctions relief and reduced pressure" (Ось як Росія відповідає на звільнення від санкцій і зменшення тиску). Senator Lindsey Graham's Russia sanctions bill also came up. Zelenskiy thanked the lawmakers who supported the bill and called it "an extremely strong bill" (надзвичайно сильний законопроєкт) that should already have taken effect.
Zelenskiy says ballistic missile early warning failed to come for a third time
The issue of early warning was taken up separately at the delegation meeting. Zelenskiy said, "Ukraine did not receive any warning from partners about the first wave of ballistic attacks last night" (Україна не отримала від партнерів жодного попередження про першу хвилю балістичних обстрілів минулої ночі). He went on, "This is already the third case in a short period when we have not received such a warning about ballistic missiles" (Це вже третій випадок за короткий період, коли ми не отримали такого попередження про балістичні ракети). The announcement did not say when the previous two cases occurred or which partner's warning was involved.
Strengthening air defense was also on the agenda. The two sides discussed accelerating the supply of interceptor missiles for Patriot systems under the PURL program.
Zelenskiy argues Starlink and Starshield speed limits are disrupting front-line logistics
Satellite communications were also on the agenda. According to the presidential office, Zelenskiy said the speed of Starlink and Starshield services had been limited on several sections of the front. He argued that the limits "undermine front-line logistics, Ukrainian mid-range strikes and the ability to defend against Shaheds" (підриває фронтову логістику, українські мідлстрайки та здатність захищатися від «шахедів»).
Jet-powered Shaheds were singled out as a particular problem. Zelenskiy said, "The hardest to shoot down are jet Shaheds" (Найскладніше збивати реактивні "шахеди"). As for the reason for the speed limits, he said, "We still have no explanation for this" (Ми досі не маємо пояснень щодо цього).
Zelenskiy thanks Rubio for "readiness to help" in call the next day
Ukraine's presidential office said on the morning of Oct. 20 that Zelenskiy had held a phone call with Secretary of State Rubio. According to the presidential office, Zelenskiy thanked Rubio for his readiness to help and for taking a clear position on three issues. The first was ballistic missile interceptors to protect lives, the second was early warning of Russian ballistic missile attacks, which is "vitally important" (життєво важливим), and the third was the Starlink and Starshield situation, "which must be restored" (яку треба відновити).
Zelenskiy said, "Of course, all this is against the backdrop of our diplomatic efforts to end this terrible war and the constant killing of people" (Звісно, все це на фоні наших дипломатичних зусиль, щоб закінчити цю жахливу війну й постійні вбивства людей). The two agreed to be in touch again soon to review progress. Zelenskiy thanked Rubio for his constructive position, as well as everyone in the United States who supports a fair approach.