Trump says Ukraine, Russia agree not to hit energy targets. Zelenskyy not convinced
US President Donald Trump has announced that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to stop striking each other's energy infrastructure, offering a rare de-escalatory step in the war. But the claim immediately ran into uncertainty from Kyiv, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying Ukraine was not convinced Moscow would honour such an agreement and would only reciprocate if Russia genuinely stopped attacking Ukrainian energy facilities and critical infrastructure.
"Ukraine has agreed not to hit Russian Energy targets. Russia has agreed to do, likewise!" Trump wrote on Truth Social. He added global diesel price rise is mostly caused by the Russia-Ukraine war, not Iran.
Trump's announcement came after he had urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop targeting Russian diesel-producing facilities, arguing that the strikes were contributing to fuel shortages and putting additional pressure on global energy markets.
Over recent months, Ukraine has carried out a series of long-range drone attacks on Russian oil refineries and other energy facilities. Kyiv has defended the strikes as an attempt to increase the economic cost of Russia's invasion and disrupt the fuel supplies that support its war effort.
Zelenskyy on Monday appeared to push back against Trump's description of the arrangement, saying Ukraine was willing to stop striking Russian infrastructure but was not convinced Moscow would honour its side of the deal.
"Ukraine is not certain that Russia is willing to stick to any agreement," he wrote on X.
The Ukrainian President said Kyiv would be prepared to reciprocate if its international partners could ensure that Russia genuinely stopped attacking Ukraine's electricity network, energy facilities, critical infrastructure and routes used to transport food.
"If partners can "ensure Russia's genuine desire to refrain from striking our electricity, our other energy facilities, critical infrastructure, or the movement of food supplies, then we, of course, are ready to reciprocate with a corresponding absence of our own strikes," he wrote.
Zelenskyy stressed that any arrangement would need to be more than a temporary pause. He said an agreement on critical infrastructure must be "reliable, long-term, and actually have a real impact on people's lives".
"We await specifics from our partners," Zelenskyy added.RUSSIA'S FUEL PROBLEM
Russia is facing pressure on its domestic fuel supplies.
A wave of Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian refineries has reduced fuel production, contributing to shortages in several regions. The disruption has become particularly sensitive ahead of Russia's parliamentary elections scheduled for September 18-20.
However, Russia had not issued a statement on the reported agreement at the time of writing. Earlier, the Kremlin welcomed Trump's call for Ukraine to halt attacks on Russian economic infrastructure. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said such a call "can only be welcomed", while pointing to instability in the Persian Gulf as a major factor behind the recent turmoil in global energy markets.
However, Peskov stopped short of confirming that Russia had agreed to halt its own attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities if Kyiv stopped striking Russian targets.
The latest proposal also carries memories of earlier temporary pauses that failed to produce a lasting reduction in hostilities.
Trump previously helped secure a three-day ceasefire in May to coincide with Russia's Victory Day celebrations. However, during that period, Moscow launched attacks on Ukraine involving 40 drones and a ballistic missile.
That explains Kyiv's caution over the latest announcement. While Zelenskyy has not rejected a halt to attacks on energy infrastructure, he has made clear that Ukraine does not want to suspend its strikes without credible guarantees that Russia will do the same.- EndsWith inputs from agenciesPublished By: Satyam SinghPublished On: Sep 15, 2026 01:51 IST
