Kyiv, Sept 2026 : Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed support for a US proposal calling on Russia and Ukraine to stop attacks on critical infrastructure, saying Kyiv would be ready to participate in efforts to reduce tensions if Moscow agrees to the arrangement.
In a post on social media platform X, Zelenskyy described the American proposal as a strong initiative and said a halt to attacks on critical infrastructure could potentially serve as the first step towards de-escalation.
“This is a strong proposal from the United States that both sides stop attacks on critical infrastructure,” Zelenskyy said. He added that if Russia stopped striking Ukraine’s critical infrastructure and Kyiv also halted retaliatory attacks, Ukraine would be prepared to support the process of reducing tensions.
US President Donald Trump had claimed on Monday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed not to attack each other’s energy infrastructure. Trump made the statement in a post on his social media platform Truth Social, although he did not provide details about how the understanding had been reached or specify the level of discussions between the two sides.
In another post, Trump attributed rising diesel prices around the world primarily to the Russia-Ukraine war rather than the conflict involving Iran.
Zelenskyy, however, said Ukraine had yet to see evidence that Russia was genuinely prepared to end the war. He claimed that Moscow was facing pressure on its war economy as a result of Ukraine’s actions but said this had not translated into a clear willingness to pursue peace.
“We are seeing that Russia is feeling pressure on its war economy due to our precise actions,” Zelenskyy said. “So far, there has been no indication that Russia truly has an honest desire to end the war.”
He said Ukraine would be willing to take steps towards de-escalation if its US partners could ensure that Russia was genuinely prepared to end the conflict and maintain such a commitment over the long term.
According to Zelenskyy, any meaningful peace effort should include discussions on protecting energy systems, food supply routes and other critical infrastructure. He stressed that Ukraine wanted a strong and just settlement that would provide lasting peace rather than a temporary arrangement limited to political or electoral considerations.
“We need peace,” Zelenskyy said, adding that Ukraine expected its international partners to provide concrete and clear information about the proposed arrangements.
The issue of attacks on energy infrastructure has remained central to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukrainian power plants, electricity transmission networks and other energy facilities have suffered extensive damage.
Repeated attacks on energy infrastructure have also affected essential civilian services. Reports by the United Nations Development Programme and the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission have highlighted the impact on electricity supplies, water services, healthcare facilities and educational institutions.
A halt to attacks on critical infrastructure could therefore provide some immediate relief to civilians and essential services, particularly as Ukraine continues to deal with the consequences of prolonged damage to its energy system.
However, Zelenskyy’s remarks indicate that Kyiv remains cautious about any proposed understanding with Moscow. While supporting the US initiative in principle, he has stressed that any de-escalation would depend on Russia demonstrating a genuine and sustained commitment to ending hostilities.
The proposal comes amid continued diplomatic efforts to explore avenues for reducing the intensity of the conflict, with Washington seeking commitments from both sides on measures that could potentially pave the way for broader peace negotiations.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
