"Ukraine hit Russian energy sites with US help"

Russia knows that the Americans are directing the Ukrainian operations against them. It is not so far from a hot war. Terump wants to bring Pttin to offer reasonable peace terms and I hope he succeeds, but this is dangerous. Luckily Putin is not a hot tempered man like, say, Saakashvili whom he provoked into attacking Russian forces and starting a hot war.

From the FT:

Ukraine hit Russian energy sites with US help. Trump administration has supported Kyiv’s operations since summer in a co-ordinated push to weaken Moscow.
The US intelligence helps Kyiv shape route planning, altitude, timing and mission decisions, enabling Ukraine’s long-range, one-way attack drones to evade Russian air defences, said the officials familiar with the matter.
Three people familiar with the operation said Washington was closely involved in all stages of planning. A US official said Ukraine selected the targets for long-range strikes and Washington then provided intelligence on the sites’ vulnerabilities.
But others involved and briefed on the operations said the US had also set out target priorities for the Ukrainians. One of them described Kyiv’s drone force as the “instrument” for Washington to undermine Russia’s economy and push Putin towards a settlement.
The US has for months been helping Ukraine mount long-range strikes on Russian energy facilities, in what officials say is a co-ordinated effort to weaken Vladimir Putin’s economy and force him to the negotiating table.
American intelligence shared with Kyiv has enabled strikes on important Russian energy assets including oil refineries far beyond the frontline, according to multiple Ukrainian and US officials familiar with the campaign.
The previously unreported support has intensified since midsummer and has been crucial in helping Ukraine carry out attacks that Joe Biden’s White House discouraged. Kyiv’s strikes have driven up energy prices in Russia and prompted Moscow to cut diesel exports and import fuel.