The United States has decided to share intelligence with Ukraine that will assist in striking Russian oil and power infrastructure.

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, this move comes as the US considers sending Kyiv weapons that could extend its targeting capabilities.

US officials indicated that this new intelligence support could enable Ukraine to more effectively target refineries, pipelines and power plants, aiming to disrupt the Kremlin’s funding for its military operations.

Although the US has been sharing intelligence with Ukraine for some time, this development represents a significant enhancement in support.

Additionally, US officials are reportedly urging NATO allies to provide similar assistance to Ukraine.

US President Donald Trump has been advocating for European nations to cease purchasing Russian oil, linking this to his push for stringent sanctions on Moscow to diminish its financial resources for the war in Ukraine.

Neither the White House nor the representatives from Ukraine or Russia’s UN missions responded immediately to a request for comments from Reuters.

According to the sources cited by the Wall Street Journal, the decision to provide further intelligence was made shortly before Trump suggested on social media last week that Ukraine could reclaim all territory occupied by Russia, reflecting a notable shift in rhetoric in favour of Kyiv.

“After seeing the economic trouble (the war) is causing Russia, I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form”, Trump stated on Truth Social last Tuesday after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

In terms of military aid, the US is also considering Ukraine’s request for Tomahawk missiles, which have a range of 2,500 kilometres, enough to reach Moscow and much of European Russia.

Ukraine has also been developing its own long-range missile, known as the Flamingo, though its production status is still early.

Since launching a military strike on Ukraine in February 2022, which it termed a “special military operation”, Russia has aimed to halt Ukraine’s westward geopolitical alignment and what it views as NATO’s expansion.

Kyiv and its European allies, however, characterise the attack as an imperial land grab.

This marks the first instance of the US providing intelligence specifically for Ukrainian strikes deep into Russian territory, targeting energy sites.

Energy revenue is crucial for the Kremlin, serving as a primary source to fund its war efforts, making oil and gas exports a key focus of Western sanctions.

In related actions, Trump has pushed for additional tariffs on imports from India to pressure New Delhi to stop buying discounted Russian oil, while also encouraging nations like Turkey to cease oil purchases from Moscow.

Responding to these international pressures, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated last week, “It is a sovereign state that decides for itself in which areas to cooperate with us, and if certain types of trade in certain goods are deemed advantageous to the Turkish side, then the Turkish side will continue to do so”.

Earlier, on Wednesday, finance ministers from the Group of Seven nations announced plans to jointly increase pressure on Russia by targeting those who continue to buy Russian oil and those facilitating such transactions.