Ukraine will stop hitting refineries if Russia halts energy attacks, Zelenskiy says
USO•Ukraine is ready to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries if Moscow stops striking Ukrainian energy infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. He said any deal would need “real guarantees.”
1. Conditional halt to strikes
Zelenskiy said Ukraine was willing to stop attacking Russian refineries only as part of mutual de-escalation, with Russia ceasing strikes on Ukrainian power infrastructure. “It's possible to stop strikes on energy infrastructure as early as today, but Putin does not want to do so,” he said.
2. Trump’s comments draw criticism
US President Donald Trump blamed Ukrainian refinery strikes for raising US diesel prices and demanded that Kyiv stop them. Analysts said a diesel supply deal Trump announced with Russia was unlikely to bring sustained lower fuel prices, as its volumes remained much lower than Russia usually exports when its refineries are not under attack. US lawmakers, including Republican Representative Don Bacon, criticized the deal.
3. Further discussions planned
Zelenskiy said he would continue discussions with European leaders, including on additional air defence packages. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha was due to attend an EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting expected to discuss sanctions on Russia and Ukraine’s EU accession negotiations.
