Russia Must List Protected Sites for Energy Truce

Russia must present a list of energy facilities it wants protected if Moscow is serious about negotiating a reciprocal halt to infrastructure attacks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday, Sept. 16. According to an excerpt from Zelensky’s interview with CBS News, Ukraine is prepared to accept an energy ceasefire but insists that the agreement must cover all forms of attacks and treat both sides’ critical energy interests equally.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “If they say, ‘We are not attacking these facilities,’ then they must put on the table a list of their facilities – those they do not want us to attack,” Zelensky said. He added that limited de-escalation measures remain possible even during wartime if the parties demonstrate genuine political will to end the conflict. Kyiv defines energy differently from Moscow Zelensky said US presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner raised the possibility of halting attacks on oil refineries and other energy facilities during their recent visit to Ukraine. “I told them that we are ready for an energy ceasefire, but it is necessary to understand what this means for Ukraine,” Zelensky said. “For Putin, energy means selling oil and gas. For us, energy means electricity and gas for our people,” he added. Zelensky said Ukraine would interpret an energy ceasefire as a complete end to Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure using any type of weapon. Other Topics of Interest Hackers Breach Russia’s ‘Invulnerable’ Voting System Ahead of State Duma Elections Hacking group announces breach of Russia’s Central Election Commission and the contractor responsible for developing the GАS “Elections 2.0” system Kyiv has previously said that it will not stop attacking Russian energy facilities without reliable guarantees that Moscow will reciprocate. US President Donald Trump announced an energy truce before either Russia or Ukraine had publicly confirmed a formal agreement or monitoring mechanism. Oil exports central to Russia’s war budget Zelensky said restrictions on Russia’s ability to transport and sell oil impose significant losses on the Kremlin warfighting budget, estimating the annual impact at more than 100 billion and saying the figure could reach 150 billion this year. He did not specify the currency in the published excerpt. “We never strike first,” Zelensky said. “Our tactic is to respond where we can, because Putin does not respect the weak and will not even think about negotiating with them.” The president said any broader arrangement should also address food exports and the movement of agricultural products. Russia has up to 70 million tons of agricultural goods available for export, while Ukraine needs to sell approximately 30 million tons, Zelensky said. “If we are talking about grain and agriculture, then there must be no blockade of agricultural exports, because this is a question of food security for many people on other continents,” he added. Zelensky said reciprocal steps could serve as evidence of “goodwill or political will to end the war,” but emphasized that any pause must be clearly defined and apply equally to both sides. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.