Zelensky says Ukraine will de‑escalate if Russia stops energy strikes

Volodymyr Zelensky told the nation on Monday that Ukraine is prepared to step back from targeting Russian energy infrastructure if Moscow does the same. The statement came after Donald Trump posted that the United States had brokered a mutual agreement to cease strikes on critical energy sites.

The former president used his social‑media platform to claim both sides had agreed to “stop hitting each other’s energy targets”. He added that the move was intended to ease the surge in global oil prices, which he said were being driven by Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries.

In his daily televised address, Zelensky referred to “a strong proposal from the United States regarding a mutual halt to strikes on critical infrastructure”. He said, "If this can become the first de‑escalatory step, stopping Russian strikes on our critical infrastructure, and ours in response, then Ukraine is ready to support de‑escalation."

Zelensky added that Ukraine’s precise attacks were already putting pressure on Russia’s war economy, yet he warned that “so far no one has seen any genuine desire from Russia to move toward ending the war”. He urged his American partners to secure a firm Russian commitment before Kyiv makes any further de‑escalatory moves.

Oleksandr Pertsovsky, chief executive of state‑run Ukrainian Railways, told reporters that Russian shelling of the rail network is “growing exponentially”. Each week, attacks are worse than the previous one, and a recent strike hit a train used by diplomats near the Polish border.

Donald Tusk, prime minister of Poland, said Warsaw had intelligence suggesting Moscow might target additional border crossings. The heightened rail damage is compounding logistical challenges for Ukraine’s supply chains and for neighbouring countries.

The European Union postponed the deadline to renew its sanctions list, which includes nearly 3,000 individuals and entities, after a French push to remove billionaire Alisher Usmanov from the blacklist met resistance. The list, due to expire on Wednesday, is a key tool for limiting Russia’s ability to fund its war effort. For more on EU policy moves, see the EU Commission’s review of visa rules.

While diplomatic envoys continue shuttle trips between Moscow and Kyiv, no concrete breakthrough has emerged. The next steps will likely hinge on whether Russia publicly confirms a halt to its strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure, a move that could unlock further de‑escalation measures from Kyiv.