By SCN NEWS | World Desk
KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine was ready to halt strikes on Russian targets if Moscow stopped attacks on Ukrainian critical infrastructure, offering reciprocal de-escalation at a moment when Kyiv says its long-range campaign is increasingly putting pressure on Russia’s war economy.
Zelenskyy’s conditional offer on Monday followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s assertion that Russia and Ukraine had already agreed not to strike each other’s energy targets. Kyiv, however, stopped short of confirming that such an agreement was in place, with Zelenskyy saying Ukraine needed concrete details from its partners and remained unconvinced that Moscow would abide by an arrangement. In his nightly address, he said Ukraine would support a first de-escalatory step if Washington could secure genuine and long-term Russian willingness to end attacks.
The distinction is important because Ukraine would be suspending a campaign that has begun imposing measurable costs on Russia. Ukrainian long-range drone attacks on Russian oil refineries have reduced fuel production and contributed to gasoline shortages across numerous Russian regions, according to Reuters. Zelenskyy said Russia was feeling pressure from Ukraine’s precise responses against what he described as the Russian “war economy,” indicating Kyiv views those strikes as leverage rather than merely retaliation.
Trump had publicly pressed Zelenskyy a day earlier to stop attacking Russian diesel-producing infrastructure, saying disruption to Russian fuel supplies was contributing to a global diesel shortage. The Kremlin welcomed that intervention, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying calls for Kyiv to stop attacking what Moscow describes as civilian economic infrastructure could only be welcomed. Russian officials have nevertheless argued that turmoil in global energy markets is being driven primarily by instability in the Persian Gulf rather than Ukrainian strikes.
Zelenskyy’s response effectively attaches a reciprocal price to stopping Ukraine’s campaign. He said any arrangement should cover energy facilities, food routes and critical infrastructure and must be reliable and durable rather than a temporary political gesture. Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s electricity, heating and other infrastructure during the war, causing extensive disruption to civilian life and industrial activity, while Kyiv has increasingly developed the ability to answer those attacks deep inside Russian territory.
That creates an unusual point of mutual vulnerability. Moscow wants relief from Ukrainian attacks that are damaging its refining sector and tightening domestic fuel supplies, while Kyiv wants protection from Russian attacks capable of disrupting electricity, logistics and essential civilian services. A genuine reciprocal agreement would therefore require both sides to suspend forms of pressure that have become strategically valuable.
There is also a notable gap between Washington’s description of the diplomatic breakthrough and Kyiv’s account. Trump said Ukraine and Russia had agreed not to hit each other’s energy targets, but Zelenskyy subsequently said Ukraine expected specifics from its partners and needed confidence that Russia would honor such an arrangement. Russia, meanwhile, welcomed Trump’s demand for Ukraine to stop attacks on Russian economic infrastructure but had not immediately provided public details matching the broader reciprocal commitment described by the U.S. president.
Previous attempts to establish limited ceasefires have repeatedly been undermined by accusations of violations, making verification potentially as important as the terms themselves. Zelenskyy said any agreement would have to make a real difference to people’s lives and argued that restraint over critical infrastructure could serve as an initial step toward a broader peace process.
For Ukraine, however, the calculation now extends beyond whether an energy ceasefire is desirable. Kyiv has demonstrated that its long-range campaign can create economic pressure inside Russia, while Moscow retains the capacity to inflict extensive damage on Ukraine’s infrastructure. Zelenskyy’s offer therefore puts the next burden on Washington and Moscow: if Ukraine is to suspend an increasingly consequential strike campaign, Kyiv wants evidence that the restraint it gives Russia will be returned.