Zelensky: Ending Attack on Energy Facilities Can De-Escalate War

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia ending attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure could be a major step towards de-escalating the war.

“We saw during the first [peace] summit that there could be a decision on energy security. In other words: We do not attack their energy infrastructure, they don’t attack ours. Could this lead to the end of the war’s hot phase? I think so,” Zelensky told journalists in Kyiv on Monday in reference to Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, as per the Financial Times (FT).

Zelensky added that “when it comes to energy and freedom of navigation, getting a result on these points would be a signal that Russia may be ready to end the war.”

He added that Moscow’s readiness to negotiate “depends firstly on the US elections” and rejected notions of a land-for-peace deal which would see Ukraine exchanging occupied territories for NATO membership and ending the war.

Zelensky’s aide, Andriy Yermak, also signaled Ukraine’s readiness for negotiations on the condition that Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty is respected in a Monday interview with Finnish media.

Zelensky’s statement came amidst widespread concerns in Ukraine about prolonged blackouts as winter looms over the horizon, where Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, including power plants, have led to substantial deficits and blackouts in the summer.

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Moscow is furious Russian sovereign territory has been violated and is rattling sabers. But the Kremlin probably also is lashing out against a more agile opponent.

Ukraine is currently relying on the remaining nuclear plants, supplemented by a limited number of undamaged conventional power plants alongside European surplus imports, to sustain its energy needs.

Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials have also warned that Russia planned to attack Ukrainian nuclear plants on multiple occasions in recent months.

Zelensky’s statement can be interpreted as a signal to peace talks ahead of the second peace summit, which aimed to establish conditions to end the war with international support.

However, Kyiv’s key condition of retaining sovereignty over territories occupied by Russia is unlikely to be agreed upon by the Kremlin as the latter continues to make creeping gains in eastern Ukraine.

Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said the Kremlin would not participate in the summit despite Kyiv’s invitation as it contained conditions unacceptable to Russia.