Zelenskyy says Ukraine ready for energy truce with Russia after Trump talks

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Kyiv remains ready for a bilateral “energy ceasefire” with Russia after holding separate talks with the leaders of the United States and the United Kingdom in New York City.

He also warned in a post on Telegram on Tuesday that Russia was planning “a new massive attack” against his country.

Zelenskyy, who was in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, met with US President Donald Trump for 40 minutes and said the talks focused on efforts to end Russia’s full-scale invasion of his country, now in its fifth year.

Writing on X, he said the talks were “positive and productive”.

“Both the US and Ukraine want to see this senseless Russian war ended before winter. We discussed potential de-escalatory steps that can open up the way to diplomacy,” he added.

In comments to reporters at the UN headquarters in New York, Zelenskyy said Kyiv remains ready to halt strikes on Russian energy facilities if Moscow stops targeting Ukraine’s energy system. But he stressed that there had been no discussion with Trump of Kyiv unilaterally ending attacks on the Russian oil industry.

“We are ready for energy ceasefire,” he said. “If they don’t want us to attack their diesel and refineries, and etc, we are ready – if they will not attack our energy system, our electricity, heating system, water supplies.”

Trump, whose approval ratings have slumped to a record low amid high petrol prices ahead of the US midterm elections in November, had expressed concern in recent days over the extensive damage done by Ukraine to Russia’s fuel-processing capacity, which he said was stoking diesel prices globally.