Zelensky says Ukraine will pause strikes if critical infrastructure spared

His comments came after US President Donald Trump claimed in a social media post that Russia and Ukraine had agreed “not to hit” each other’s energy infrastructure, though Mr Trump did not offer further details on the purported agreement.

Russia did not comment on Mr Trump’s claim. Previous efforts to broker even a partial ceasefire have repeatedly fallen apart within hours, with both sides accusing each other of violations.

It comes a day after the US president called on Mr Zelensky to stop targeting Russian oil refineries and other infrastructure used to produce and distribute diesel, claiming the attacks are causing a global shortage.

Diesel prices have surged in the US and high fuel costs associated with the Iran war have become a major issue for Mr Trump’s party in upcoming congressional elections.

He also claimed that the rise in the price of global diesel fuel “is mostly caused by the Russian/Ukraine war” and not Iran.

But restricted shipments caused by the slowdown of oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz and damaged refining systems in Russia are causing strains in the energy market.

In his post, Mr  Zelensky said Ukraine has proposed that partners help secure an agreement with Russia for a ceasefire. It is not the first time Kyiv has floated the idea.

“Every day, Ukrainian energy facilities, port infrastructure, logistics, even food and pharmaceutical warehouses become targets,” he said.

“The war must be ended. And a de-escalation step regarding critical infrastructure could be a first step toward peace.”

Mr Zelensky said he “expects concrete proposals from our partners”.

Mr Trump on Sunday called on Mr Zelensky to stop the strikes. Afterwards, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said any call on Kyiv to stop strikes on civilian economic infrastructure “can only be welcomed”.

Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte said Monday that Russian drone strikes near the Ukraine-Poland border – one of which hit a train shortly after senior visiting officials had passed through the same station – would drive the military alliance to increase its support for Kyiv, calling Sunday’s attacks a sign of Moscow’s growing desperation.

The strikes “close to Nato territory” show Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “desperation and also his desire to sow fear and terror”, Mr  Rutte said at Nato’s political headquarters in Brussels.

“Russia is growing increasingly reckless as it continues its terrible war against Ukraine.”

Mr Rutte pledged to increase support for Ukraine and bolster the 32-nation alliance’s own defences along its long eastern border with Russia.

“He thinks that he can stop us from supporting Ukraine and that he can undermine our unity. He is wrong,” he said of Mr Putin.

Sunday’s strikes near the Polish border are the latest in a string of incidents that officials say point to a deliberate pattern of escalation by Mr Putin, as Moscow tests Nato’s response while pressing its offensive in Ukraine.

Mr Rutte’s comments came as Poland pledged increased security along its border with Ukraine after a wave of Russian drone strikes near the frontier, including two that landed within  miles of Polish territory.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned on Sunday that Moscow appears poised to intensify its campaign against Ukraine’s borders with European countries.

Ukraine is under mounting pressure from Russia’s intensifying air campaign that uses ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones to pierce defences.

“These coming weeks and months will be a time of very intensified actions on the Russian side, and unfortunately we cannot rule out that this escalation will also affect our territory,” Mr Tusk said on Sunday after a governmental security briefing in Warsaw. He issr ued a similar warning on Thursday.

Defence minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on Monday in a post on X that the Polish army recovered what was believed to be a Russian military drone from the Baltic Sea near the coastal village of Jaroslawiec.

Polish officials said intelligence reports, including a CIA briefing last week, suggested Russia was likely to attack border points and intensify sabotage actions inside European countries as part of its efforts to discourage partners from supporting Ukraine.

Mr Peskov, asked on Monday about the strike on the train near the Polish border, said Russian forces were operating “across the entire territory of Ukraine and continue to do so and will continue to do so.”