KEY POINTS
• Ukraine says it is ready to stop attacks on energy infrastructure if Russia does the same.
• Zelensky said a mutual halt could provide an initial step towards de escalation.
• The Kremlin welcomed Trump’s call for both sides to stop targeting energy facilities.
MAIN STORY
Ukraine has offered to suspend attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure if Moscow agrees to halt similar strikes, following a call by United States President Donald Trump for both sides to stop targeting energy facilities.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said a reciprocal suspension could help lower tensions and create an opening for wider efforts to end the war.
Zelensky said Kyiv had asked international partners to help establish an agreement with Russia to protect critical infrastructure from further attacks.
“If our partners are ready to ensure that Russia genuinely refrains from striking our electricity system, other energy facilities, critical infrastructure, and food supply routes, then, of course, we are ready to ensure a corresponding halt to our strikes,” Zelensky said on X.
He described an agreement to stop attacks on critical infrastructure as a possible starting point for de escalation and eventual peace negotiations.
Trump had earlier said on Monday that Ukraine and Russia had agreed not to attack energy facilities. In a post on Truth Social, he said Kyiv had agreed to refrain from targeting Russian energy infrastructure and that Moscow had made a similar commitment.
The Kremlin welcomed the proposal. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a call for Ukraine to stop attacks on civilian economic infrastructure was a development Moscow welcomed.
Peskov also called on countries that have influence over Kyiv to encourage greater flexibility, arguing that this could support efforts to resolve the conflict.
Despite the statements, military activity has continued, with both sides reporting new attacks.
The Russian Defence Ministry said its forces struck railway infrastructure in western Ukraine and logistics facilities supporting Ukrainian forces.
Zelensky, meanwhile, said Ukrainian forces had attacked a naval base in Novorossiysk in Russia’s southern Krasnodar Territory. He said the strikes hit an oil loading terminal, military facilities and warships equipped with Kalibr missiles.
The conflict is also continuing to put pressure on Russia’s domestic economy, with the Russian government recently imposing a temporary ban on exports of gasoline, diesel, marine fuel and gas oil as part of efforts to stabilise the domestic fuel market.
THE ISSUES
- A reciprocal suspension of attacks on energy and other critical infrastructure could reduce damage to facilities that are important to civilian and economic activity, but the proposal depends on both sides implementing the arrangement.
- Trump’s intervention has introduced another diplomatic push aimed at limiting attacks on energy infrastructure, with both Kyiv and Moscow publicly responding to the proposal.
- Continued military strikes reported by both sides show that calls for restraint have not ended hostilities across the wider conflict.
- Russia’s temporary fuel export restrictions indicate that the war continues to have domestic economic consequences beyond the battlefield.
WHAT’S BEING SAID
“If our partners are ready to ensure that Russia genuinely refrains from striking our electricity system, other energy facilities, critical infrastructure, and food supply routes, then, of course, we are ready to ensure a corresponding halt to our strikes.” – Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine
“Welcomed.” – Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman, on calls for Kyiv to stop attacks on civilian economic infrastructure
WHAT’S NEXT
Ukraine says it is seeking support from international partners to establish an agreement with Russia protecting critical infrastructure. The response from Moscow and whether reported commitments translate into a sustained halt to such attacks will determine the next stage of the proposal.
BOTTOM LINE
Ukraine has linked a halt to its attacks on Russian energy infrastructure to a reciprocal move by Moscow. The proposal follows Trump’s call for both sides to suspend such strikes, although military activity continues.
