Ukraine ‘will respond’ if Russia does not follow ‘energy ceasefire’
KIEV
A residential building burns following a Russian air attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine,, Oct. 12, 2026. (AP Photo)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said onOct. 12 that his country would retaliate if Moscow did not agree to the “energy ceasefire” that U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally announced at the weekend.
“If Russia does not agree to an energy ceasefire, we will respond,” Zelensky told the Warsaw Security Forum via videolink.
Trump sowed confusion when he announced an energy ceasefire between the two warring countries without providing details, sparking astonishment in Kiev, silence from Moscow and support from Ukraine’s Western allies.
“We are waiting for the details of the conversation between the Americans and the Russians, and we are waiting to see what specific steps the Americans are ready to take,” Zelensky said.
Trump’s announcement on Oct. 11 came two days after he declared a temporary easing of U.S. sanctions on Russian diesel, prompting outrage by European allies and Kiev, who said it would only embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“If Russia wants us to stop our long-range strikes against its oil refineries and oil exports, then Russia must stop its strikes against our energy system and critical infrastructure and stop killing our people,” Zelensky said.
Trump has previously taken to his Truth Social account to announce truces or other arrangements before either Kiev or Moscow confirmed them.
“An energy ceasefire and other steps to reduce escalation and guarantee security are truly needed here in reality, not just on Truth Social,” Zelensky said.
Also speaking on Oct. 12 at the Warsaw Security Forum, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that all western countries should be more decisive in containing Russia, as the invasion of Ukraine enters a fifth winter.
“This is the moment when the entire West, Europe, the United States, should show Russia and Putin that it is ready to pursue a policy of containing Russia by even more decisive means,” he said, adding he was primarily referring to sanctions.
“That is why I will go to Brussels to persuade all our European partners to seriously consider increasing sanctions against Russia,” he added, ahead of a summit planned later this week.
The European Union, on the other hand, Oct. 12 formally added almost 1,600 new individuals and entities to its sanctions blacklist over Russia’s war on Ukraine, in a bid to keep pressure on Moscow.
“This is the single largest expansion of our sanctions list since Russia started its war,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas wrote online.
“Europe is again showing a united front. More than half are connected to the production chain for ballistic missiles,” she said.
“We are making it significantly harder, slower and more expensive for Russia to produce the weapons it uses to kill Ukrainians,” she added.
Ukraine says Erdoğan could mediate Zelensky-Putin talks
In an interview published on Oct. 12, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has said that Zelensky could meet Putin through President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s mediation,
Sybiha also raised the possibility of Trump participating in a meeting between the two leaders.
He said Kiev remained ready to resume trilateral talks with Russia and the United States.
“We would like it to take place as soon as possible. We will use every opportunity, even the smallest, to bring peace closer,” Sybiha said.
The minister said direct talks between Zelensky and Putin would offer the best prospect of advancing efforts to end the war. He identified a ceasefire, prisoner exchanges and the return of children as potential outcomes of such a meeting.