Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that Ukraine would support a U.S. proposal to halt attacks on Russian energy infrastructure but warned that Moscow was using the negotiations to delay and weaken Kyiv.
The White House earlier confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had accepted U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal for a 30-day pause in strikes on Ukrainian and Russian energy facilities. Speaking at an online briefing, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was prepared to back the agreement.
“Our side (would) support this,” he told reporters when asked about the ceasefire proposal, adding that he would welcome any move toward a “stable and just peace.”
Ukraine has launched drone strikes on Russian oil refineries in an effort to undermine Moscow’s war effort, while Russia has repeatedly bombarded Ukraine’s power grid, causing blackouts and damaging gas production sites.
Zelenskyy, however, suggested that Russia was not fully committed to the ceasefire. He pointed out that since Kyiv agreed in principle to the deal at talks in Jeddah last week, Russia has intensified its bombardments.
“Russia has launched more than 1,300 guided bombs, eight missiles, and nearly 600 long-range drones at Ukraine since the talks in Saudi Arabia,” he said.
Ukraine had already proposed the idea of halting attacks on energy infrastructure during those negotiations, he added.
Despite the energy ceasefire agreement, Moscow did not grant Washington the unconditional 30-day truce it had sought. Zelenskyy said Russia’s latest demands, including an end to Western military and intelligence assistance for Ukraine and limits on Kyiv’s military draft, were designed to weaken Ukraine.
The Ukrainian leader said he had spoken with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz following Trump’s phone call with Putin and hoped to discuss the situation directly with the U.S. president.
“I think it will be right that we will have a conversation with President Trump and we will know in detail what the Russians offered the Americans or what the Americans offered the Russians,” he said.
Zelenskyy also sought to reassure Ukrainians that Western military aid would not be cut.
“We are in constant communication. I am confident that there will be no betrayal from our partners and that the assistance will continue,” he said.
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Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 7th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
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Russia launched a large-scale overnight attack on Ukraine’s energy system early on Saturday (7 January), hitting power generation and distribution facilities with more than 400 drones and around 40 missiles, Ukrainian officials have said.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 7th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
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