Ukraine will only stop attacking Russian oil as part of an energy ceasefire, Zelensky says
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President Volodymyr Zelensky pushed back against pressure from the U.S. to stop attacking Russian oil refineries, writing on social media on Oct. 11 that Moscow first needs to stop targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
"The real cause of the war in Europe is Russia, and Russia alone. It is already possible today to halt the attacks on our energy sector, but (Vladimir) Putin does not want to do so," Zelensky said.
"Ukraine will be prepared to stop attacks on Russian oil refineries if Russia ceases its attacks on our energy infrastructure," he wrote.
As recently as Oct. 8, Kyiv was plunged into near-total darkness due to Russian attacks on the energy grid, and attacks have continued unabated since then.
Zelensky's comments follow U.S President Donald Trump saying "he better damn well stop" attacking Russian refineries, on Oct. 10, shifting the blame for Russia's war on Ukraine.
That remark, in turn, came one day after Washington announced a deal with Moscow to import diesel, despite such a move being illegal under U.S. law.
But that deal has also provoked strong backlash in the U.S., and there is a new bipartisan push in Congress to prevent the import of Russian diesel.
"Any de-escalation measures must be reciprocal and backed by genuine guarantees," Zelensky added, given that Russia has repeatedly not honored ceasefires in the past.
The pressure being applied to Zelensky also alludes to how effective Ukraine's attacks on Russia have been, with Ukraine's General Staff estimating in September that 45% of Moscow's refining capacity had been taken offline.
