Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared on Tuesday that Kyiv is prepared to halt strikes on Russian energy infrastructure if Moscow agrees to stop targeting Ukraine's power, heating and water systems — a reciprocal offer made on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where Zelenskyy met separately with US President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
"We are ready for any kind of format of energy ceasefire," Zelenskyy told journalists, outlining the mutual terms: Ukraine would suspend drone attacks on Russian oil refineries and fuel facilities if Russia ends its assault on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Zelenskyy described his 40-minute meeting with Trump as "positive and productive," writing on X that "both the US and Ukraine want to see this senseless Russian war ended before winter." However, he acknowledged that Trump had not yet provided a concrete commitment on the energy truce, and said he did not know Moscow's current position, expressing hope that Washington would find a way "to bring them to any kind of negotiations."
The push for an energy moratorium comes against a backdrop of sharply escalating long-range strikes by both sides. Russia launched a major overnight attack involving anti-ship missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and more than 200 drones, killing at least five people across several Ukrainian regions, according to officials. Ukraine, for its part, confirmed overnight strikes on two Russian oil refineries — including the Kuibyshev refinery in Samara, a city southeast of Moscow — continuing a campaign against Russian energy facilities that has used drones to reach targets up to 3,000 kilometres from the Ukrainian border. A recent strike on a Moscow-area refinery forced the suspension of crude processing at a plant handling around 230,000 barrels per day. Trump had previously criticised Ukraine's refinery strikes, noting they were contributing to global diesel price increases — a concern sharpened by reduced oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz following the outbreak of the US-Iran war.
Zelenskyy also used the New York meetings to press for additional Patriot air defence interceptors ahead of winter, proposing that Ukraine receive missiles from US stockpiles now, in exchange for redirecting a future German supply deal. Global stocks of Patriots have been depleted by their use in both the Ukraine and Middle East conflicts. French President Emmanuel Macron separately announced additional radar systems for Ukraine's power grid and said he had discussed with Trump a possible energy truce and a moratorium on Black Sea attacks — a parallel concern, as Russian strikes on cargo vessels have cut both countries' agricultural exports by two-thirds, threatening grain supplies to parts of Africa.
Why this matters: With temperatures set to fall and Russia having repeatedly targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure in previous winters, the coming months represent a critical period for civilian resilience in Ukraine. An energy ceasefire, if achieved, could reduce civilian suffering on both sides and open a narrow path toward broader diplomacy — but Zelenskyy warned on Telegram that intelligence suggested Russia was already "preparing a new massive attack" against Ukraine, underlining how fragile any such arrangement would be. He also stressed that sanctions relief for Russia was off the table while Ukrainians remain under daily missile and drone fire.