Ukraine is ready to agree to a deal with Russia to halt attacks on each other’s energy supplies, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.
Mr Zelenskyy was responding to US President Donald Trump’s announcement that there would be an “energy ceasefire” between Russia and Ukraine. Speaking by video at the Warsaw Security Conference, the Ukrainian leader said he learnt about the proposed truce from the media, after Mr Trump made the announcement on his Truth Social platform on Sunday.
“If the Americans need it, we are ready to sign these guarantees to make sure they can be trusted. It’s important that we all see this situation in the same way,” Mr Zelenskyy said.
But he said Russian President Vladimir Putin “doesn’t read Truth Social” and that Ukraine continued to come under attack. Mr Zelenskyy added that “if Russia doesn’t agree to energy ceasefire, we will respond”.
He urged Washington to step in to ensure that Moscow abided by the terms of the putative agreement.
"There were Russian violations of the energy ceasefire announced by President Trump," he said. "We are waiting for the details of the conditions between the Americans and Russians, and we are waiting to see one specific step the Americans are ready to take.
"This energy ceasefire, it can work, and it can become a major step towards ending the war, if the Americans truly step in now and make sure Russians respect it."
As Mr Trump made his announcement, large parts of Kyiv were without electricity and water as repair crews struggled to restore power after Russian strikes. A power plant in Kharkiv, in the north-east, also came under attack.
“All morning today, more and more Russian jet-powered Shaheds have continued to enter our skies over Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities,” said Mr Zelenskyy, referring to Iranian-supplied drones used by Russia in the war. “We shoot down many of them and, if we didn’t, there would clearly be even more damage to our energy infrastructure.”
Mr Zelenskyy ended his address by urging Ukraine's allies to dedicate their time to making sure the US gets "one clear message". "An energy ceasefire and other steps to reduce escalation and guarantee security are truly needed here – in reality, not just on Truth Social,” he said.
“We need to end Russia's war. We need to guarantee security. We need to stand together, Europe and the United States."
At the weekend, Mr Zelenskyy held talks with key allies, including UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that he had not seen any signs in the past 48 hours of Russia respecting an energy ceasefire.
"We can only reopen the debate on the energy situation if there is real ceasefire which is respected by both sides," Mr Macron said at the Paris Autoshow. "I have not noted, over the last 48 hours, any energy ceasefire coming from the Russian side."
Mr Burnham told Mr Zelenskyy that he recognised "the past 24 hours had been difficult for Ukraine” and stressed his “complete solidarity” with Kyiv, according to a Downing Street readout of the call between the two leaders.
The pair discussed the “importance of maintaining pressure on Russia” and Mr Burnham made it clear that the UK “would continue to strengthen its sanctions on Russia and take further action to constrain the Russian war machine”.
Mr Carney’s office said he had spoken with Mr Zelenskyy about Mr Trump’s “diesel deal” with Russia, which aims to immediately release 300,000 tonnes of the fuel to global markets in an effort to curb rising costs. The Canadian leader said the agreement was in "direct opposition to the efforts of Ukraine, Canada and our allies to create peace and stability in Europe".
Mr Zelenskyy has proposed a 60-day ceasefire to allow his country to hold presidential elections, but that was immediately rejected by Russia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said his country wanted a long-term peace deal rather than a temporary ceasefire.
