Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Kyiv is ready for a bilateral energy ceasefire with Russia, following separate meetings with US President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Zelenskyy met Trump for 40 minutes. He described the talks as "positive and productive," saying both sides want to see the war ended before winter.
"Both the US and Ukraine want to see this senseless Russian war ended before winter. We discussed potential de-escalatory steps that can open up the way to diplomacy," Zelenskyy wrote on X.
Speaking to reporters at UN headquarters, Zelenskyy said Ukraine is prepared to halt strikes on Russian energy facilities on one condition: that Moscow stops targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
"We are ready for energy ceasefire," he said. "If they don't want us to attack their diesel and refineries, and etc, we are ready – if they will not attack our energy system, our electricity, heating system, water supplies."
He stressed, however, that there had been no discussion with Trump of Kyiv unilaterally ending attacks on the Russian oil industry.
Trump had expressed concern in recent days over the damage done by Ukraine to Russia's fuel-processing capacity, saying it was driving up diesel prices globally. Before the meeting, he told reporters the strikes were "a serious hit on the Russians" but also "a serious hit on the price of diesel."
Trump's approval ratings have slumped to a record low amid high fuel prices ahead of the US midterm elections in November.
The US president said last week that both countries had agreed to stop attacking each other's energy facilities, but strikes resumed almost immediately after that announcement. The Kremlin had previously welcomed a US proposal for an energy moratorium while also calling for measures covering Russian seaborne energy exports and sanctions relief.
Zelenskyy, writing on Telegram after his meeting with Burnham, rejected any discussion of easing sanctions against Russia. "There's intelligence right now that Russia is preparing a new massive attack against Ukraine," he wrote, adding that sanctions relief could not be considered "when Ukrainians live every day under the threat of missile and drone attacks."
The renewed push for an energy ceasefire follows weeks of intensifying long-range strikes by both sides.
On September 15, Russia launched approximately 200 drones across Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials, hitting petrol stations in Kyiv as well as energy and port infrastructure elsewhere.
Ukraine has expanded its campaign against Russia's oil industry, deploying long-range drones to strike refineries and energy facilities at sites up to 3,000 kilometres from the Ukrainian border. A September 20 attack forced the Moscow oil refinery, which processed around 230,000 barrels of crude per day in 2024, to halt crude processing, according to industry sources.
Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine's power, fuel and port infrastructure, raising fears of further damage as temperatures fall ahead of winter.
Zelenskyy said he discussed a winter air-defence package with Trump and requested additional Patriot air defence missiles, which he described as the only weapon in Ukraine's arsenal capable of intercepting Russia's ballistic missiles. Global supplies of Patriot missiles have been depleted by ongoing conflicts, including the US-Israel war on Iran and Russia's war with Ukraine.
