US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has rejected Volodymyr Zelensky's claims that Washington is restricting vital support to Kyiv, insisting: "There's nothing being deliberately denied to Ukraine."
Rubio was speaking after Russia launched fresh deadly attacks despite Donald Trump's energy ceasefire announcement. He dismissed allegations that the US was deliberately withholding intelligence from Kyiv, declaring: "That's scandalous. That's outrageous. That's just simply not true. That's not accurate."
Deadly Attacks and Accusations
The exchange came as Ukrainian officials reported at least seven people killed in Russian missile and drone attacks, with further casualties feared and power outages reported across the country. Zelensky has accused Washington of slowing military assistance at a critical moment in the war, warning that Ukraine needs American-made interceptor missiles and reliable intelligence to defend itself against Russian strikes.
Addressing US lawmakers on Monday, Zelensky pointed to concrete disruptions on the ground, revealing that a pre-funded batch of Patriot interceptor missiles remains stalled at the Pentagon awaiting US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's signature.
Technical Concerns Raised
Ukrainian military officials confirmed that satellite communications now automatically cut out when terminals exceed speeds of 100mph (161km/h), directly crippling Kyiv's interceptor drones as they attempt to track incoming Russian Shaheds. Zelensky also complained that restrictions on the military version of SpaceX's satellite internet service, Starshield, are hampering Ukrainian battlefield operations.
However, Rubio insisted there had been no deliberate political decision to undermine Ukraine, saying US policy towards Kyiv had not changed. He suggested technical problems could explain some of the difficulties, rather than a political decision to abandon Kyiv.
Diplomatic Talks in Norway
The dispute unfolded as Zelensky travelled to Norway for talks with US envoy Steve Witkoff, President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. Zelensky said he had held a "substantive conversation" with Rubio, thanking him for his "readiness to help and his clear position".
The Ukrainian leader has raised serious concerns about the reliability of American support, saying Kyiv had received no warning, or delayed warnings, ahead of recent Russian missile attacks. Ukraine has also warned that its stocks of Patriot air defence interceptors are running dangerously low, with Zelensky saying the Pentagon was delaying deliveries of missiles purchased by other countries for Ukraine.
The row comes against the backdrop of Trump's announcement on October 11 of an immediate energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. The US President declared that both sides had agreed to stop attacks on energy infrastructure, but offered few details of the arrangement. Kyiv said Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities continued after the announcement, with Zelensky warning that Moscow was not respecting the proposed truce.
