Ukraine will halt its strikes against Russian refineries only if Moscow ceases its attacks against the Ukrainian power grid, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct. 12, signaling that a refinery-only truce makes little sense for a country with a single, badly damaged refinery.
"In Ukraine, we have just one oil refinery. And it was badly damaged by Russian strikes long, long ago," Zelensky said in a video address to the Warsaw Security Forum.
The news comes shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that both Kyiv and Moscow agreed to an energy truce — an announcement that took Ukrainian officials by surprise.
The Ukrainian president confirmed that Kyiv learned of the supposed truce only from media reports, but reiterated his readiness to adhere to it — provided that Russia follows suit.
"We are ready to respect an energy ceasefire if Russia is ready to do the same," Zelensky added in his speech, noting that Ukraine did not attack any Russian refineries overnight, while Moscow struck a Ukrainian gas production facility.
Russian forces also struck a power plant in Kharkiv on Oct. 11 shortly after Trump's announcement, and the Kremlin has not confirmed adherence to any truce.
Adding to the confusion, an undisclosed White House official told Axios that Trump's announcement concerns only oil refineries and that a broader ceasefire covering the energy grid could come next.
Russia is one of the world's largest oil refiners, boasting a wide network of refineries whose production helps fund Moscow's war machine in Ukraine.
Ukraine effectively has only one oil refinery, in Kremenchuk in central Poltava Oblast, which has faced heavy attacks since the start of Russia's all-out invasion.
While Ukrainian drones have been targeting Russian refineries throughout the war to undercut the Kremlin's wartime revenues, Moscow has been attacking the Ukrainian energy grid and other critical infrastructure sites, leading to large-scale outages of electricity, water, and heat.
Ukrainian officials warn that Russia is preparing another massive campaign against energy infrastructure this winter.
"This winter, if Russia does not agree to an energy ceasefire, we will respond," Zelensky warned.
The last few days saw Trump ramp up pressure on Kyiv, demanding that Ukraine halt attacks on Russian refineries and suggesting that the Ukrainian people replace Zelensky if they want an end to the war.
Trump also announced a deal to buy Russian diesel and blamed Ukrainian attacks for the global diesel supply crisis, despite evidence that the U.S. war against Iran is the primary cause of the current shortage.
Kyiv's European allies have already expressed skepticism about the alleged energy truce.
"We haven't yet seen that also Russia will stick to it," said Kaja Kallas, the EU's chief diplomat. "Of course, personally, I would also welcome that the ceasefire would include people not being killed."
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said that while the announcement is a "good thing... the Russians have continued to attack energy infrastructures at the gates of winter in Ukraine, especially in Kharkiv, and so things must be followed up effectively."