Владимир Зеленский. Фото: president.gov.ua
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv was ready to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries if Moscow stopped attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
“The real cause of the war in Europe is Russia, and Russia alone. It is already possible to stop attacks on energy infrastructure today, but Putin does not want to do so. Ukraine will be ready to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries if Russia stops attacking our energy infrastructure. Any steps towards de-escalation must be mutual and accompanied by real guarantees,” the Ukrainian leader said.
According to Zelenskyy, Russia launched around 1,450 guided aerial bombs, 75 missiles of various types and more than 1,640 attack drones at Ukraine over the past week alone, around 60% of which were jet-powered.
He stressed that search and rescue operations had been completed in Zaporizhzhia following a Russian strike that killed 23 people, including four children. Russian forces also attacked a medical facility in Kharkiv and struck a five-storey residential building in Sloviansk in the morning. According to the Ukrainian president, people may still be trapped in the damaged entrance section of the building.
Zelenskyy said Kyiv would continue coordinating with European partners and working on additional military aid packages, primarily air defence systems and ammunition for combat aircraft.
On October 9, the White House published a statement by US President Donald Trump announcing that significant volumes of diesel fuel would soon arrive in the country. On October 10, Zelenskyy discussed the consequences of easing sanctions on petroleum products with French President Emmanuel Macron. The Ukrainian leader stressed that Russia must not be given additional opportunities to prolong the war.
The previous day, Axios, citing a US official, reported that Trump had sought to secure a unilateral halt to Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, as the attacks were contributing to rising fuel prices in the United States.