Zelensky noted that since the start of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has sought peace and has already put forward dozens of diplomatic proposals on ending the war, security guarantees, and preventing new Russian aggression. Now, he said, Kyiv is in dialogue with Washington.
Possible de-escalation steps, he said, he plans to discuss with partners on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. Zelensky stressed that Ukraine’s energy sector, critical infrastructure, and food exports must stop being targets for Russia, and then corresponding steps will follow from the Ukrainian side.
“There will no longer be a situation where only the country under attack suffers. The nature of war at present is such that the aggressor will also suffer. Technology makes this possible”, he wrote on X.
Trump has repeatedly demanded that Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries stop, arguing that such strikes drive up global fuel prices. On September 20, he raised the issue in a phone call with Zelensky, and the next day wrote on Truth Social that because of Ukrainian attacks Russia had “lost control” over diesel production and called for an end to “this absurd and endless war”.
According to the report, since the start of 2026 Ukraine has attacked Russian refineries more than 70 times, and several dozen facilities have been taken out of service. In August alone, six major plants were shut down for repairs.
EA Analytics linked the disruptions at refineries to a drop in Russian oil refining to its lowest level since 2002, fuel shortages inside the country, and a ban on exports. In mid-September, Zelensky had already said he was ready to stop strikes on Russian refineries if there were reliable guarantees of an end to Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy sector, ports, logistics, and other critical facilities, while Kyiv awaited a mechanism from partners that would ensure Russia complied with such an agreement.
Sources
