Zelenskyy offers refinery strike deal as Russia continues energy attacks despite Trump's ceasefire claim
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine was ready to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries if Moscow stopped attacking Ukraine's power infrastructure, accusing Russia of continuing its attacks despite US President Donald Trump's announcement of an energy ceasefire.
Speaking at the Warsaw Security Forum on October 12, Zelenskyy said Ukraine had welcomed Trump's October 11 announcement that Kyiv and Moscow had agreed to stop attacking energy infrastructure.
However, Russian drones were already flying over Ukraine when Trump made the announcement, Zelenskyy said, and Russian forces subsequently struck a power facility in Kharkiv.
"It was clear that Putin does not read Truth Social," Zelenskyy remarked, referring to the US president's social media platform.
He said Ukraine had demonstrated its willingness to support an energy ceasefire by refraining from attacks on Russian oil refineries the previous night.
"If Russia wants us to stop our long-range strikes on its refineries and oil exports, then Russia must stop its strikes on our energy system and critical infrastructure and stop killing our people," Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian president also questioned Washington's decision to ease restrictions on Russian diesel exports following Trump's October 9 conversation with Vladimir Putin.
Zelenskyy suggested the United States could instead have negotiated with Ukraine, given Kyiv's ability to disrupt Russian oil refining and shipping operations.
"Why didn't America make a deal with Ukraine?" he asked, arguing that Ukraine could offer to refrain from targeting Russian diesel infrastructure in exchange for guarantees protecting its electricity network.
He also questioned whether the volume of Russian diesel expected to reach international markets would significantly affect global supplies.
The US Treasury Department authorized a temporary easing of restrictions on Russian diesel exports after Trump announced an agreement with Putin.
Axios previously reported that the decision followed Zelenskyy's repeated refusal to stop Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries.
Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine's principal energy vulnerability is its electricity supply, rather than oil refining capacity.
Trump has said an energy ceasefire was already in effect, but Moscow's agreement to the arrangement has not been independently confirmed.
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