Zelenskyy Says Ukraine Ready For De-Escalation If Russia Halts Infra Strikes

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv is ready to support a US proposal for a mutual halt to strikes on critical infrastructure if Russia genuinely commits to stopping attacks, signalling a possible first step towards de-escalation in the war.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine expects concrete details from its US partners and stressed that any arrangement must be long-term and aimed at ending the conflict.

What Did Zelenskyy Say About The US Proposal?

Zelenskyy said there was a “strong” US proposal for both sides to stop strikes on critical infrastructure. He said Ukraine was prepared to take its own de-escalatory steps if the measure became the first stage towards ending Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure and Ukraine's retaliatory strikes.

He also said Washington would need to ensure that Russia was genuinely prepared to end the war “for real and for the long term”. Zelenskyy called for energy facilities, food routes and other critical infrastructure to be included in discussions over halting attacks.

Why Has Ukraine Remained Cautious?

Zelenskyy said Ukraine had seen no genuine willingness from Russia to end the war, while arguing that Ukrainian strikes on Russia's “war economy” were putting pressure on Moscow. His comments came after US President Donald Trump said Russia and Ukraine had agreed to stop attacking each other's energy infrastructure.

However, Zelenskyy’s statement suggested that Kyiv viewed the proposal as conditional rather than a completed ceasefire. Reuters reported that Ukraine had not officially endorsed Trump's announcement and wanted assurances that Moscow was genuinely committed to the arrangement.

The Kremlin has welcomed Trump's call for Ukraine to stop targeting Russian diesel infrastructure, while Russia has continued attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure. Ukraine has also targeted Russian oil facilities, saying such strikes are intended to increase the economic pressure on Moscow.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine expects “specifics” from its international partners, indicating that Kyiv wants a concrete and durable arrangement rather than a temporary pause in strikes.

Trump said Monday he had asked Zelenskyy not to target Russian diesel plants and refineries, arguing that attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure were affecting diesel supplies and hurting the world. Trump made the remarks during a gaggle with reporters as he was asked about the Russia-Ukraine war.

Asked which of the Russia-Ukraine and other ongoing wars could end sooner, Trump focused on the impact of Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy facilities and said he had raised the issue with Zelenskyy.

Trump said Russia supplies a significant amount of diesel and that Russian plants were being hit by Ukraine. “I’ve asked President Zelenskyy not to hit the diesel plants, refineries,” he said.

Trump linked the attacks to difficulties in getting diesel out of Russia and suggested that this could be contributing to higher diesel prices. “Diesel is being driven up by the fact that it's having a hard time coming out of Russia and that's a case that hurts the world,” he said.