Zelenskyy Says Ready to Cease Energy Strikes If Russia Stands Down

(MENAFN) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Monday that Kyiv has put forward a proposal to mutually halt strikes on energy infrastructure with Moscow, conveying the offer directly through Washington as diplomatic efforts continue amid deep public skepticism.

"If Russia is ready to stop strikes on our energy sector, we will be ready to respond in kind. This is our proposal — conveyed through the Americans — and the Russian side has it," he said.

Beyond the energy truce, Zelenskyy said Ukraine is actively engaged with the American side on drafting key documents, advancing proposals, and solidifying a framework around security guarantees — efforts he described as proceeding "substantively."

"Security guarantees are the key to truly ending the war, to achieving a lasting peace, and to creating the political and legal conditions necessary to bring the war to an end and to build public trust in the process," he said.

The Ukrainian leader underscored that Kyiv maintains near-daily contact with Washington across multiple diplomatic levels, stressing the need to "ensure there is a result."

Zelenskyy acknowledged the fragile state of public confidence in the peace process, cautioning that its success hinges on all parties involved. "There is currently a lot of skepticism about diplomacy — not only here — regarding Russia's war against Ukraine. But the outcome, and whether there will be one at all, depends on all participants in the diplomatic process," he added.

The push for renewed engagement comes after several rounds of US-brokered talks between Russia and Ukraine earlier this year stalled, following Washington's decision to redirect its focus toward a military operation in the Middle East.

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