Allies failed to warn Ukraine of overnight Russian missile strike on Kyiv — Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed on October 13 that international allies had failed to warn Ukraine about a Russian ballistic missile strike on Kyiv the previous night. Zelenskyy stated that the missile attack, which hit civilian infrastructure with five missiles, "was rather cowardly." He highlighted the importance of intelligence in warning about ballistic threats, emphasizing that such warnings "help prevent killings."

Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine has refrained from attacking Russian oil refineries or energy infrastructure since U.S. President Donald Trump announced an "energy truce" two days prior. However, Russia continued to attack Ukrainian energy facilities and critical infrastructure, signaling a lack of intention to cease aggression. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that they were unable to issue a red-level air raid alert due to the missiles being detected only while in flight, with no advance notice of their launch.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had earlier mentioned at the Warsaw Security Forum that Ukraine and the U.S. were continuing their intelligence-sharing cooperation, though this was a broader response to a question about the relationship between Kyiv and Washington. Axios reported that U.S. presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had warned the Ukrainian delegation in Miami that Trump would cut off Kyiv’s access to U.S. intelligence unless Ukraine stopped attacking Russian oil refineries.

The Financial Times also cited European officials, reporting that the Trump administration threatened to suspend the weapons procurement program supplying Ukraine with arms. President Trump had announced on October 11 that an energy truce was "effective immediately," with the agreement limited to strikes on oil refineries.