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President Volodymyr Zelensky said he agreed to stop strikes on Russian energy infrastructure during a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on March 19.
"One of the first steps toward fully ending the war could be ending strikes on energy and other civilian infrastructure. I supported this step, and Ukraine confirmed that we are ready to implement it," Zelensky said on X following the hour-long call with Trump.
The call between Trump and Zelensky came a day after the U.S. president spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone.
Following the call, Putin announced he had agreed to a 30-day truce on strikes on energy infrastructure. The same night — overnight on March 19 —Russia carried out a large-scale drone attack that targeted energy infrastructure and other facilities.
Russia has been bombing Ukraine's civilian energy infrastructure since 2022 and has been steadily expanding its air campaigns in recent months, with bombardments by swarms of Shahed drones now a nightly occurrence.
Ukraine has also launched regular drone attacks on Russia in response. On the night of March 10, over 330 Ukrainian drones targeted Moscow. Other strikes have targeted Russia's fossil fuel infrastructure.
Olena Yermakova
