The United States has been helping Ukraine carry out long-range attacks on Russian energy facilities for months in a concerted effort to weaken the Russian economy and force President Vladimir Putin to negotiate, the Financial Times reported.
According to the newspaper, US intelligence is helping Kiev target key Russian energy targets, including oil refineries, far behind the front lines. The Financial Times cited unnamed Ukrainian and US officials familiar with the operation.
The White House, the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. There was no immediate response from the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Moscow said earlier this month that Washington and its NATO allies were regularly providing intelligence to Kiev in the war that Putin launched in February 2022.
"The use of the entire infrastructure of NATO and the United States to collect and transmit intelligence to Ukrainians is obvious," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at the time.
The Financial Times reports that US intelligence is helping Kiev plan routes, determine altitude, timing and tactical decisions, allowing Ukrainian long-range kamikaze drones to evade Russian air defenses.
According to three sources familiar with the operation, the United States is closely involved in all stages of planning. One American official said that Ukraine itself selects the targets for attacks, while Washington then provides data on the vulnerabilities of those facilities.
Earlier this month, two US officials told Reuters that Washington would provide Ukraine with intelligence on targets within Russian energy infrastructure at long distances, while a decision on whether to send missiles that could be used in such attacks was still being considered.
The United States has also asked NATO allies to provide similar support, US officials said.
Zelensky said on Saturday that he had a "positive and productive" phone conversation with US President Donald Trump about Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy system.
"We discussed the possibilities of strengthening our air defense, as well as the specific agreements we are working on to ensure this. There are good options and solid ideas on how to really strengthen us," Zelensky wrote on the X network.
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