Tunisians drawn into Russia's war in Ukraine

Ukrainian military has temporarily halted its strikes on Russian oil refineries following pressure from US President Donald Trump, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal on Thursday, citing sources familiar with the situation. Ukrainian forces, engaged in long-range drone strikes, were instructed mid-October to cease operations once ongoing missions were concluded, the Journal reported.

The unofficial suspension is anticipated to persist until after the US midterm elections, possibly extending into November, the report added. Concurrently, Russia has escalated assaults on Ukrainian energy and civilian targets. However, the WSJ could not independently confirm the claim. The announcement of a pause coincides with renewed attempts to revive US-backed peace negotiations aimed at concluding Europe's most devastating conflict since World War Two.

Relations between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy have deteriorated markedly in recent weeks, with Trump expressing growing irritation over Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, which have driven diesel prices to unprecedented levels. Ukraine had resisted suspending the strikes, asserting that its long-range drone campaign serves as the sole effective response to years of Russian bombardment.

This stance prompted Trump to announce a diesel purchase deal from Moscow and waive sanctions on Moscow, a measure authorized by a law he signed into effect in September.