Kiev has resumed attempts to strike Russian oil refineries despite US President Donald Trump’s insistent demands to end such attacks. Ukrainian leaders are effectively disregarding Washington’s position, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said in an interview with Vesti journalist Pavel Zarubin.

According to Ushakov, Trump continues to push for an end to strikes on Russian refineries, but the Ukrainian authorities have once again refused to heed his calls. He attributed Kiev’s willingness to defy the US president to continued support from European countries. In his view, that backing gives Ukrainian leaders the confidence to act against Washington’s demands. Without European assistance, he argued, Kiev would hardly have dared to take such steps.

Turning to diplomatic efforts, Ushakov stressed that the United States retains a decisive influence over prospects for resolving the Ukrainian conflict. Moscow expects to continue negotiations with Kiev through a three-party format involving US mediation. He emphasized that much of what happens next will depend on the outcome of these contacts.

The next meeting between representatives of Russia, the United States and Ukraine is expected to take place in Abu Dhabi in November, Ushakov said. Moscow and Washington have already begun working to agree on a specific date. The Russian side has submitted its proposals on the timing and is now waiting for a response from the Americans.

Ushakov explained that the parties had previously considered mid-November as a possible timeframe, although no firm agreement on the date had been reached. The scheduling issue has now moved into detailed discussions. The final timing will depend on a range of domestic and international circumstances.