Zelensky Links Halt to Strikes on Russian Refineries to End of Attacks on Ukraine’s Power Grid
Key Facts
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky linked a halt to Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries to an end to Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s power grid and energy infrastructure, proposing what he described as a fair energy truce. Zelensky said Kyiv would be ready to stop striking oil and diesel refineries if Moscow stopped attacking Ukraine’s power grid. The position comes as the war enters another winter, with Russia, he said, targeting power plants, grids and other parts of the energy infrastructure daily. U.S. President Donald Trump announced on October 11 that a ceasefire in the energy sector had taken effect. Zelensky said Trump’s announcement surprised him, but Kyiv was ready to respect it.
Zelensky described the truce’s implementation in its first days as a limited pause in strikes on refineries, not a comprehensive halt to Ukrainian operations. He said he proposed that Ukrainian forces continue to strike other targets quietly for at least 72 hours while avoiding refineries. He added that the forces acted with greater caution during that period, but were not ordered to refrain from responding to Russian strikes. According to his account, Ukraine suspended refinery strikes during the first 72 hours of the truce while continuing other operations. The distinction means the truce announcement did not halt the broader confrontation.
Zelensky said an incident occurred at the Ryazan refinery on October 15, and that Ukraine also carried out operations targeting data centers and sites where Russian ballistic missiles are concentrated. He also said Kyiv did not target ships carrying diesel from Russia to the United States under a new agreement announced by Trump on October 9. As part of the arrangement, the U.S. Treasury Department issued a general license suspending U.S. sanctions on Russian diesel until April 2027. These steps distinguish strikes on refineries from the movement of diesel shipments covered by the agreement. Zelensky said Kyiv had offered its international partners an approach of halting refinery strikes in exchange for an end to attacks on the power grid.
Ukraine’s representative to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe described the scale of Russian strikes on the energy sector, saying Russia had carried out more than 200 strikes on electricity generation and transmission facilities during the week before his remarks on October 15. This comes as Reuters reported that Russia had stepped up attacks on energy infrastructure and civilians in Ukraine. Zelensky, meanwhile, said Ukrainian forces had not stopped responding to Russian strikes during the days they avoided refineries. Under Ukraine’s proposal, a halt to attacks on energy facilities remains conditional on both sides honoring their commitments. Zelensky did not describe the brief pause in refinery strikes as a firm or comprehensive agreement.
Separately, Reuters cited the Wall Street Journal as reporting that Ukrainian units received instructions in mid-October to stop the refinery strike campaign after completing missions already underway. Reuters said it could not independently verify the report. According to the report, the informal pause was expected to continue beyond the U.S. midterm elections and possibly into the latter part of November. This account concerns a longer pause than the suspension Zelensky described in the truce’s first days, and does not amount to public Ukrainian confirmation of its duration. The report came amid renewed efforts to revive U.S.-backed peace talks to end the war.
The parties are preparing to continue the diplomatic process in November, according to separate statements and reports. Ukraine’s presidency said preparations were underway for a trilateral meeting between Ukrainian, U.S. and Russian teams during the month. The Associated Press also quoted a Kremlin spokesman as saying the next round of negotiations was likely to be held in Abu Dhabi around mid-November. Territorial and security demands remain key points of disagreement: the agency said Russia is demanding full control of four Ukrainian regions it illegally annexed, while Kyiv insists on security guarantees to prevent another invasion. The agency reported that Russia occupies about 20% of Ukraine, without controlling all the territory it claims in those regions.