Zelenskyy says Ukraine will pause attacks if Russia spares infrastructure

Zelenskyy insists de-escalation depends on US ensuring Russia’s genuine readiness to stop war and attacks on Ukraine.President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine is ready to halt its attacks on Russian territory if the United States can secure a commitment from Russia to not hit Ukrainian infrastructure.Zelenskyy’s comments came on Monday after US President Donald Trump claimed that Ukraine and Russia decided to stop targeting each other’s energy sites, without providing details.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3NATO pledges more Ukraine support after Russia strikes near Polandlist 2 of 3Why is Trump warning Zelenskyy not to hit Russian diesel refineries?list 3 of 3‘Attacks will be fully autonomous’: Russia, Ukraine race towards AI warfareend of listTrump’s message came a day after he said that rising diesel prices around the world are “mostly caused by the Russia/Ukraine war” and “not Iran”, in a statement on Truth Social.Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s halting of attacks would be dependent on the US ensuring that Russia is “genuinely ready to stop this war aimed at destroying life, and to do so for real and for the long term”. Only then would Ukraine take “de-escalatory steps”, he added.Zelenskyy said Ukraine had proposed that its partners secure an agreement with Russia to halt attacks on critical infrastructure, accusing Moscow of targeting food, energy and other basic facilities “that sustain life”.Russia’s repeated attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have put a strain on fuel systems necessary for heating and electricity, leading to fears that civilians could face a difficult winter.“These systems are vulnerable and Russia has been using this vulnerability, leaving thousands of households without electricity or heating for the past three winters,” explained Al Jazeera correspondent Dmitry Medvedenko from Moscow.Ukraine has in recent months demonstrated its growing long-range strike capability, targeting Russian energy infrastructure far from the front lines.