President Zelenskiy insists that de-escalation depends on the United States ensuring Russia is truly prepared to end the war and attack on Ukraine.
Published September 15, 2026
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that Ukraine is ready to halt attacks on Russian territory if the United States can secure a commitment from Russia not to attack Ukrainian infrastructure.
Zelensky’s comments came on Monday after US President Donald Trump claimed, without providing details, that Ukraine and Russia had decided to stop targeting each other’s energy facilities.
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President Trump’s message came a day after he said in a statement posted on Truth Social that diesel prices around the world are rising “primarily because of the Russia/Ukraine war” and “not because of Iran.”
President Zelensky said a halt to Ukraine’s attacks depended on whether the United States guarantees that Russia is “truly ready to stop this war aimed at the destruction of life and will indeed do so in the long term.” Only then, he added, would Ukraine take “de-escalation measures.”
President Zelenskyy said Ukraine has proposed that partner countries secure an agreement with Russia to stop attacks on critical infrastructure, accusing Russia of targeting food, energy and other “life-sustaining” basic facilities.
Russia’s repeated attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have strained fuel systems needed for heating and electricity, raising concerns that civilians could face a harsher winter.
“These systems are vulnerable, and Russia has exploited these vulnerabilities, leaving thousands of households without electricity or heating for the past three winters,” explained Al Jazeera correspondent Dmitry Medvedenko in Moscow.
In recent months, Ukraine has demonstrated improved long-range strike capabilities by targeting Russian energy infrastructure far from the front lines.
“Ukraine could launch a similar response by attacking essential energy systems, and the Kremlin will know that the clock is ticking for the two sides to reach some kind of agreement this winter to ensure that the population has warmth and electricity,” Medvedenko added.
Air raids continue
The warring countries continued to exchange airstrikes early on Tuesday, with one person killed and seven injured in a Russian airstrike on Kiev earlier in the day, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said.
Two more people were killed in separate Russian attacks in the Ukrainian cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, officials said.
Elsewhere, Russian forces shot down 222 Ukrainian drones overnight, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
According to Russian media, Ukraine launched a drone attack on a Russian industrial facility overnight, damaging the site and several residential buildings in southeastern Samara.
Russia’s state news agency TASS reported on Tuesday that around 40 drones had been shot down, citing regional governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev.
Ukrainian media said the industrial facility targeted was an oil refinery.
A “massive” Ukrainian drone attack has caused multiple fires in the Russian city of Taganrog, regional governor Yuri Slyusar said. He said on Telegram that two apartment blocks and three private houses were damaged, as well as an educational institution, an agricultural warehouse and the premises of Russian e-tailer Ozone.
President Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that Kiev’s military had targeted a drone production facility in the city.
