Zelenskyy: If Russia wants us to stop hitting refineries, it must stop strikes on our energy system
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Ukraine has only one oil refinery, which is why when it comes to an energy ceasefire, stopping Russian strikes on power stations and the energy grid is key, and the American team has been well informed about this.
Source: European Pravda, citing Zelenskyy during an address at the Warsaw Security Forum on 12 October
Details: The president referenced Russia's recent strikes against power generation facilities carried out following US President Donald Trump's post on Truth Social regarding a so-called "energy ceasefire".
Quote: "It was clear that Putin does not read Truth Social, and his Shahed drones follow a different set of instructions. But this post is actually about something that affects the lives of millions of people, and that makes it very, very important."
Details: Zelenskyy assured that if Russia does not agree to an energy ceasefire this winter, Ukraine "will respond".
Quote: "We in Ukraine immediately supported this idea [of an energy ceasefire], as we did, by the way, as we did on and on for months when we ourselves put forward the idea of the energy ceasefire… The American team knows very well what this means for us. We do not have major oil reserves, large oil export capacities or dozens of oil refineries. We import large amounts of diesel fuel and other oil products."
Details: Zelenskyy added that Russia launched its campaign of strikes against Ukrainian power plants and the electricity grid several years ago, and every winter, including this one, the Russians attempt to make these attacks even more intense.
Quote: "We have power cuts every single day. For Russia, of course, the petrol shortages and burning oil refineries because of our strikes and response are painful. And these are not the same volumes that could be lost because of the crisis in Hormuz. But if Russia wants us to stop our long-range strikes against its oil refineries and oil exports, then Russia must stop its strikes against our energy system and critical infrastructure and stop killing our people. This is only fair."
Background:
- A White House official told Axios that an "energy ceasefire", as understood by the US president, means that Russia and Ukraine will stop attacks solely on each other's oil refineries.
- On 11 October, Trump in his social media Truth Social claimed that Ukraine and Russia had agreed to an immediate energy ceasefire.
- Barak Ravid, a journalist at American news portal Axios, stated that Zelenskyy had been unaware of the "energy ceasefire" between Ukraine and Russia announced by Trump but is willing to agree to it.
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