Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said no energy truce currently exists between Ukraine and Russia, telling CBS News that Kyiv strikes Russian energy facilities only in response to attacks launched by Moscow.
A journalist asked Zelensky, after noting drone strikes on energy infrastructure carried out by both sides, whether a truce was in effect at present. He said it was not. He said Russian President Vladimir Putin does not respect, acknowledge or even consider negotiating with people he views as weak, which is why Ukraine responds to Russian strikes. He said Ukraine never attacks first.
US Envoys Raised Energy Truce in Kyiv
Zelensky confirmed that when US negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff visited Kyiv, they raised the subject of an energy truce. He said the American officials suggested considering oil refineries and other energy resources as part of any arrangement.
Zelensky said he told the US envoys that Ukraine was ready for an energy truce, but that they needed to understand what the term meant for each side. For Putin, he said, energy means selling oil and gas, while for Ukraine, energy means having electricity for its people.
Kushner, a senior adviser to US President Donald Trump, and Witkoff, Trump's special envoy, have taken leading roles in US-led efforts to broker an end to the war in Ukraine. The two met with Zelensky in Kyiv on September 6.
Why Energy Strikes Matter
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and both sides have repeatedly targeted energy infrastructure since then. Strikes on power plants, grids and refineries affect heating and electricity supplies for millions of civilians, a concern that grows more acute as winter approaches.
Trump's Truce Claim and Kyiv's Response
Zelensky's comments follow a claim by Trump on September 14, when he said Ukraine and Russia had reached an energy truce. Zelensky responded that Kyiv would take its own de-escalation steps once the United States could secure genuine Russian readiness for a mutual halt to strikes on critical infrastructure.
Kremlin's Winter Calculations, According to FT
Sources cited by the Financial Times said Putin does not want to agree to halt strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure before winter. According to those sources, the Kremlin believes such attacks could increase pressure on Kyiv and force it into making concessions.
