Zelenskyy says Ukraine is ready for ‘de-escalatory steps’ if Russia does the same

Article content

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that Ukraine was ready to de-escalate the war with Russia if its rival did the same, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the foes had agreed to end strikes on energy targets.

Article content

With international oil prices climbing again, Trump had at the weekend berated Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries, blaming them for causing a shortage in diesel fuel.

Article content

Article content

Article content

In one of his surprise social media posts, the U.S. leader announced on Monday that “Ukraine has agreed not to hit Russian Energy targets. Russia has agreed to do, likewise!”

Article content

Article content

Russia made no immediate comment. But in his daily address, Zelenskyy highlighted “a strong proposal from the United States regarding a mutual halt to strikes on critical infrastructure.”

Article content

He added: “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.”

Article content

Zelenskyy said “we see that the Russians are feeling pressure because of our precise responses against Russia’s war economy.”

Article content

He noted that “so far no one has seen any genuine desire from Russia to move toward ending the war.”

Article content

“But if our American partners succeed in securing a real readiness from Russia to stop this war of destroying lives, and to do so sincerely and for the long term, Ukraine will make its own de-escalatory steps.”

Article content

Trump has insisted that the Russia-Ukraine war and not the conflict with Iran, was driving up fuel costs for Americans who vote in crucial midterm elections in November.

Article content

Article content

A previous push by Trump for a ceasefire has been sidelined by the U.S.-Israeli conflict against Iran, now in its seventh month. U.S. envoys went to Moscow and Kyiv earlier this month without announcing a breakthrough.

Article content

Article content

While Ukraine has hit refineries deep inside Russia, Zelenskyy has stepped up calls for allies to provide more anti-missile defences as Russia intensifies its attacks.

Article content

Russian strikes on Ukraine’s rail network are worsening each week, the CEO of the state Ukrainian Railways operator told AFP on Monday, after a strike hit a train frequently used by diplomats near the Polish border at the weekend.

Article content

“It’s growing exponentially. Each month, each week is generally worse than the previous one,” said Oleksandr Pertsovsky.

Article content

NATO-member Poland said on Sunday that Russia hit a train about two kilometres (one mile) from the Polish-Ukraine border, just days after Kyiv officials said road crossing checkpoints on the border with Moldova had been targeted.

Article content

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Sunday that Warsaw had obtained information that Moscow might be planning attacks on border crossings.