Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday said that his country is ready to cease strikes on Russian energy infrastructure if Moscow also adheres to such a halt proposed by US President Donald Trump.
During a conversation with journalists reported by Ukrainian media outlets, Zelenskyy said that the topic of an energy truce between Kyiv and Moscow was raised during trilateral peace talks in the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi on Jan. 23-24 by the American side and is a personal initiative of US President Donald Trump.
"If Russia heard the signal from the American side the same way we heard it, then we will definitely have some result and will be able to evaluate it," Zelenskyy told reporters, according to state news agency Ukrinform.
Noting there was no direct dialogue or agreements between Russia and Ukraine on the topic, Zelenskyy said that his country would "maintain a mirror attitude towards such steps."
"If Russia does not attack our energy (infrastructure) … we will not attack their energy (infrastructure). I think this is the answer that the mediator of the negotiations, namely the United States of America, was counting on," Zelenskyy added, expressing Ukraine's readiness for de-escalation steps.
The Ukrainian president's remarks come as Trump said during a Cabinet meeting on Thursday that he "personally asked" Russian President Vladimir Putin not to fire on Kyiv and various Ukrainian cities amid "extreme cold" weather conditions.
Zelenskyy thanked his US counterpart in a later statement on the US social media company X, saying the topic was discussed in the UAE and that they "expect the agreements to be implemented."
In further remarks on the matter, Zelenskyy said in an evening video address that "the situation tonight and over these days" will "show how things stand."
Russian authorities have yet to comment on the initiative.
