Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Kyiv will halt strikes on Russian energy sites if Moscow does the same, hours after President Trump claimed the two sides had already agreed to stop hitting each other's energy infrastructure. Trump also blamed the war for the global diesel price spike rather than the separate U.S.-Iran conflict, as U.S. diesel prices hit $6 a gallon.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine would stop attacking Russian energy targets and other critical infrastructure if Russia commits to the same, but he cast doubt on Moscow's willingness to follow through. According to a post on X: "Ukraine is not convinced that Russia is willing to abide by any agreement," he wrote.
Trump's claim outpaces the deal on the ground
An hour before Zelenskyy's post, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Ukraine has agreed not to hit Russian energy targets, and Russia has agreed to do likewise. Zelenskyy's statement, framed as conditional rather than final, undercut that claim. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Zelenskyy's post.
Trump had pressed Zelenskyy a day earlier to stop striking diesel fuel output in Russia. He said Ukraine could keep hitting other targets but should leave diesel fuel alone because it was causing a shortage, speaking during his visit to Ireland.
Ukraine has maintained that energy sites are legitimate military targets as it keeps resisting Russian forces that invaded the country more than four years ago. Zelenskyy said Ukraine most recently struck two Russian oil refineries last week. He accused Moscow of using its oil revenue to finance the war.
Diesel prices climb as the Iran war escalates
Zelenskyy set conditions for any halt: Russia would need to genuinely stop striking Ukraine's electricity system, other energy facilities, critical infrastructure, and food supply routes. He said any pause would need to be reliable and long-term, not one that lapses once Russia holds elections and eases pressure on gasoline and diesel for that period. He called a de-escalatory step on critical infrastructure a possible first step toward ending the war.
Meanwhile, the average U.S. price of diesel hit $6 per gallon for the first time on Friday, a fuel central to industrial and heavy-duty machinery. Trump has said the war in Ukraine, not the separate U.S. war against Iran, is mostly to blame for the rise.
The price surge has coincided with an escalation of the Iran war, including a recent drone attack on Saudi Arabia's East-West oil pipeline. That pipeline had been used to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, the shipping route that has seen sharply reduced commercial traffic since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in late February.
Source: CNBC
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