Zelenskyy on energy truce with Russia: Ukraine is ready, but it never strikes first
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine is willing to agree to the energy truce proposed by the US president, although Russia attaches a different meaning to the concept of energy.
The head of state said this in an interview with CBS News on Tuesday, Censor.NET reports.
On the reasons for Ukrainian strikes
The CBS News host recalled that Donald Trump had announced an energy truce the day before, under which Ukraine was to stop striking Russian energy infrastructure, and Russia was to stop striking Ukrainian infrastructure. However, overnight drone attacks took place on both sides. He asked Zelenskyy whether the truce was actually in force.
"No. Putin does not respect weak people; he does not see them, nor does he even think about negotiating with them. That is why we respond. We never attack first," the president replied.
On talks with Kushner and Witkoff
He said that when US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner raised the issue during their visit to Kyiv — the very issue Trump later wrote about — they proposed considering oil refineries and other energy facilities.
According to Zelenskyy, he replied that Ukraine was ready for an energy truce, but stressed the fundamental difference in how the two sides understand the very concept of "energy."
"For Putin, energy means selling oil, selling gas. For us, energy means providing electricity to our people. That is all," the president added.
Background
- It should be recalled that on September 14, US President Donald Trump said that Ukraine and Russia had allegedly agreed to mutually halt strikes on energy facilities.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later responded to Trump that Ukraine was ready to refrain from striking Russian energy infrastructure if partners guaranteed that Russia would not strike Ukrainian infrastructure.
- The day before, Trump said that Ukraine should stop its strikes on Russian energy infrastructure because, he claimed, they were causing a diesel fuel shortage.
