Zelenskyy says Ukraine will pause attacks if Russia spares infrastructure

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine is ready to halt its attacks on Russian territory if the United States can secure a commitment from Russia to not hit Ukrainian infrastructure.

Zelenskyy’s comments came on Monday after US President Donald Trump claimed that Ukraine and Russia decided to stop targeting each other’s energy sites, without providing details.

Trump’s message came a day after he said that rising diesel prices around the world are “mostly caused by the Russia/Ukraine war” and “not Iran”, in a statement on Truth Social.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s halting of attacks would be dependent on the US ensuring that Russia is “genuinely ready to stop this war aimed at destroying life, and to do so for real and for the long term”. Only then would Ukraine take “de-escalatory steps”, he added.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine had proposed that its partners secure an agreement with Russia to halt attacks on critical infrastructure, accusing Moscow of targeting food, energy and other basic facilities “that sustain life”.

Russia’s repeated attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have put a strain on fuel systems necessary for heating and electricity, leading to fears that civilians could face a difficult winter.

“These systems are vulnerable and Russia has been using this vulnerability, leaving thousands of households without electricity or heating for the past three winters,” explained Al Jazeera correspondent Dmitry Medvedenko from Moscow.

Ukraine has in recent months demonstrated its growing long-range strike capability, targeting Russian energy infrastructure far from the front lines.

“Ukraine might start responding in kind by hitting essential energy systems, and surely the Kremlin understands there’s a ticking clock for both sides to come to some kind of consensus for this winter to ensure that their populations will be kept warm and with electricity,” Medvedenko added.

Air attacks continue

The two warring sides continued to exchange air attacks early on Tuesday, with Russian strikes on Kyiv killing one person and wounding seven since the start of the day, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said.

Another two people were killed in separate Russian attacks in the Ukrainian cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, it said.

Elsewhere, Russian forces shot down 222 Ukrainian drones overnight, Russia’s Ministry of Defence said.

Ukraine attacked an industrial facility in Russia with drones overnight, damaging the site and several residential buildings in the southeastern Samara region, Russian media reported.

About 40 drones were shot down, Russian state news agency TASS reported on Tuesday, citing Regional Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev.

Ukrainian media said the targeted industrial facility was an oil refinery.

A “massive” Ukrainian drone attack sparked several fires in the Russian city of Taganrog, regional Governor Yury Slyusar said. He said on Telegram that two apartment buildings and three private homes had been damaged, as well as an educational institution, agricultural warehouses and a site belonging to Russian e-retailer Ozon.

Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that Kyiv’s forces had targeted a drone production facility in the city.