Putin threatens retaliation against Ukraine, tells the U.S.: ‘Now it’s our turn’

“Putin is now going to hit Zelensky hard, and he told us he will do it,” a U.S. official told the New York Post. According to the official, the message the Russian president has conveyed privately to Washington is clear: “Now it’s our turn, and we’re coming.”

The threat comes at the peak of Ukraine’s drone campaign against Russian energy infrastructure. This week Kyiv carried out its largest-ever drone strike, while Russian officials reported the “most massive” attack on Moscow to date, hitting the capital’s main oil refinery. According to Ukrainian data, 27 of Russia’s 32 largest refineries have been damaged so far, with estimated losses of around $20 billion — a campaign that has contributed to the near-doubling of global oil prices.

U.S. President Donald Trump has urged Ukraine to halt the strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, blaming them for rising oil prices.

Putin’s warning comes as winter approaches. Ukrainian officials and Western allies have told the Post that the war will grow far harsher as freezing temperatures set in. Ukrainian Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal has said Russia plans to knock Kyiv’s energy systems offline during the winter. “Ukrainians understand this winter could be very harsh for us. But in response, we will have no choice but to make it painful for Russia too,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his address to the UN General Assembly.

Meanwhile diplomacy is moving in parallel. Trump met Zelensky in New York, where he agreed to grant Ukraine a license to produce Patriot missiles. Special envoy Steve Witkoff had dinner with Ukrainian officials and met Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev together with Jared Kushner, while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Rubio said Moscow and Kyiv have expressed interest in a limited ceasefire covering grain and energy facilities.