The mixed signals expose a split in President Donald Trump’s approach to Russia, amid strain on energy markets.
By Ellen Francis, Greg Miller and Francesca Ebel
October 12, 2026
The Washington Post
BRUSSELS — The top U.S. and NATO military commander in Europe vowed wide-scale measures to thwart any Russian attack on the continent, in an address Monday meant to signal reassurance to Europe and strength to Moscow. But he and other U.S. officials have also delivered a different kind of message behind the scenes, warning Ukraine to stop attacking Russian refineries or risk getting cut off from critical U.S. weapons and intelligence.
The mixed signals expose a deep split in the U.S. approach to Russia, with President Donald Trump seeking election-season help from Moscow in lowering energy prices even as U.S. military officials cast Russia as a growing threat to Europe.
Gen. Alex Grynkewich, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Europe, was among the U.S. officials to convey an ask from Washington for Ukraine to hold off on attacking Russian oil refineries, according to a Ukrainian security adviser and a Western official familiar with the matter, both of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to share sensitive information.
They said Kyiv saw the messages from U.S. officials, accompanied with reminders that Washington provides key weaponry, as a threat. “Support to Ukraine through PURL continues to flow,” NATO said in response to a request for comment — referring to a NATO initiative that supplies Ukraine with U.S. equipment, the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List.
Ukraine’s strategy of destroying Russian energy infrastructure has sparked the worst fuel crisis in Russia since the Soviet Union’s collapse, as the U.S. war against Iran has pushed up global energy prices.
The requests from Washington highlight the increasing overlap of two grinding wars, in Iran and in Ukraine, as the fallout from one appears to sway the U.S. position in another.
A few months ago, at a NATO summit in July, Trump hailed Ukraine’s strikes on Russia, describing them as “an escalation that can help lead to an end” of the war. But gasoline and diesel prices have since soared, driven by military strikes that are damaging energy facilities, including by the United States and Iran in the Middle East, and by Ukraine and Russia in their war.
With less than a month until the midterm elections, the Trump administration is trying to bring down prices. On Friday, Trump said he had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who agreed to release 300,000 tons of diesel fuel this month to U.S. and global markets, with more to
follow. The deal, along with the temporary easing of U.S. sanctions on Russian diesel, provoked consternation in Ukraine and its European allies, which have increasingly accused Russia of staging plots to test NATO’s resolve.
Seeking to reassure a jittery Europe and warn Moscow, Grynkewich on Monday outlined a strategy to confront any assault in the alliance’s east with firepower, precision munitions, autonomous systems and drones — drawing lessons from the battlefield in Ukraine. “We will ensure any attack against any ally proves utterly futile,” he said.
Grynkewich told a security conference in Warsaw that he did not believe a conflict with NATO is “imminent or inevitable” but that the alliance’s forces will be ready for one. “Let there be no doubt, should war come, we will block and blunt any attack, and then if it does not cease, we will break the forces conducting aggression against us,” Grynkewich said. He praised Ukraine’s capabilities in fending off Russian forces, “despite the difference in manpower.” And he called on European nations to give more funds to the PURL program.
Grynkewich’s message to Europe and his private message to Ukraine follow Trump’s urging to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last month to halt attacks on Russian energy sites.
Rising energy prices have squeezed U.S. farmers and truckers — industries that are key to Republican support — ahead of the November elections.
In a Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump announced an “energy ceasefire” between Russia and Ukraine, of which neither side appeared aware. He said it was “effective immediately.” Zelensky said Monday that he was ready to sign an “energy ceasefire” but would respond to Russia if it continued to attack Ukrainian power grids.
The Ukrainian security adviser said Kyiv had interpreted requests from U.S. officials as a warning that Washington “could cut intel and everything going under PURL if you don’t stop.” “The Americans are saying that they are not threatening, just saying that we are partners in this, and we should help them by stopping our attacks on the refineries,” the adviser said. “Maybe it’s this administration’s way to threaten, maybe it’s just how we read it. I hope the temperature in the room goes down.”
While European governments have become Ukraine’s chief financial and military backers, the U.S. has continued to deliver some of its weapons through PURL, with the Europeans footing the bill. Over the weekend, Trump lambasted Zelensky and said he should be replaced, after the Ukrainian leader described the diesel arrangement with Russia as “a weak decision.”
Zelensky responded that it was up to the Ukrainian people to decide on their president. He said the U.S. was trying to shift blame for rising prices away from its standoff with Iran and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital corridor for global oil supplies.
Asked why Trump blames Kyiv for stalled Russia-Ukraine peace efforts, Zelensky told ABC News: “because it’s more simple to speak about the prices and connect it with Ukraine when everybody in the world understands prices are rising because of the war in the Middle East.”
Kremlin special envoy Kirill Dmitriev celebrated on social media a win for “diesel diplomacy” after Trump’s announcement on Friday. The deal, Dmitriev wrote, “showcases the power of economic cooperation between Russia and the US and its benefits to people and the world.”
Greg Miller is an investigative foreign correspondent for The Washington Post based in London, and is the author of “The Apprentice — Trump, Russia and the Subversion of American Democracy,” a book published in 2018 by the Washington Post and Harper Collins. Miller was among the Post reporters awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for coverage of Russia’s interference in the 2016 election and the fallout under the Trump administration. Miller was also part of the team awarded the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for public service for the paper’s stories about U.S. surveillance programs exposed by former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden.
Francesca Ebel is The Washington’s Post’s Russia correspondent. Before joining The Post in 2022, Ebel was the Associated Press’s Tunis correspondent. Ebel joined AP in 2017 as a multimedia journalist based in Moscow. Recently, she covered Russia’s war with Ukraine and was part of the team on the ground in Kyiv when the invasion began. Ebel has also worked as a freelance reporter from Ukraine, Russia and Tunisia, publishing with the Economist and Politico Europe Magazine, among other publications. She speaks Russian, French and Arabic. Education: Cambridge University, BA in Modern and Medieval Languages (Russian, Ukrainian, French).
Ellen Francis is The Washington Post’s Brussels bureau chief, covering the European Union and NATO. She was part of the team that launched The Post’s breaking news hub in London. She was previously at Reuters, as deputy bureau chief in Beirut and as a correspondent covering the war in Syria. Languages spoken in addition to English: Arabic, French. Education: Columbia University, MS in Journalism; American University of Beirut, BE in Civil Engineering.