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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that Ukraine was ready to stop attacking Russian oil refineries if Moscow halted strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, insisting that any de-escalation must be reciprocal and backed by guarantees.
“Ukraine will be ready to stop striking Russian oil refineries if Russia stops striking our energy infrastructure. Any de-escalation steps must be reciprocal and backed by real guarantees,” Zelenskyy said on X.
His remarks came amid renewed tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump, who on Saturday criticized Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries and said Zelenskyy “better damn well stop” carrying them out.
Trump also called on Ukraine to replace Zelenskyy.
Tensions between Trump and Zelenskyy intensified after Trump announced Friday that Russia would release large amounts of diesel onto global energy markets in exchange for sanctions relief.
Zelenskyy described the agreement as a “weak decision,” saying it would encourage Russia to continue attacking Ukraine.
Trump, however, said Saturday that Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries were contributing to higher fuel prices.
A U.S. official with direct knowledge told Axios that Trump decided to pursue the diesel agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin after Zelenskyy ignored about six U.S. requests to stop attacking Russian oil refineries.
“Zelensky is misreading the room. By continuing to hit refineries, he is eroding the goodwill that he has built with Trump over the last six months,” the official said.
The agreement was announced as U.S., Ukrainian and European negotiators met in Miami as part of efforts to end the war.
U.S. gasoline and diesel prices have risen sharply since late February, when joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran prompted Tehran to block the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for Gulf oil exports.
The dispute between Trump and Zelenskyy also comes weeks before closely fought U.S. elections, where concerns over the cost of living have been a major issue for voters.
Zelenskyy said Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilian and energy infrastructure were continuing.
He said search-and-rescue operations had been completed in Zaporizhzhia, where 23 people, including four children, were killed in Russian strikes Saturday.
He also said Russia struck a medical facility in Kharkiv, while overnight attacks targeted civilian infrastructure, residential buildings and energy facilities.
In Slovyansk, Zelenskyy said a Russian strike hit a five-story apartment building Sunday morning, destroying an entire section, with people possibly still trapped under the rubble.
Ukraine’s largest private energy provider, DTEK, announced fresh power outages in Kyiv on Sunday.
Russia has carried out repeated attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure since its February 2022 invasion, cutting power and heating to millions during winter months.
Zelenskyy said Russia had used about 1,450 aerial bombs, 75 missiles of various types and more than 1,640 attack drones over the past week, around 60% of them jet-powered.
He said talks with European leaders would continue Sunday and that Ukraine was coordinating with partners almost daily on additional defense packages, particularly air defense systems and ammunition for combat aircraft.
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