Ukraine remains ready for an energy ceasefire with Russia, but Moscow continues to show no interest in the peace process, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
"If Russians are ready for an energy ceasefire, we've always emphasized that we're ready. This is very important for people," Zelenskyy told journalists. "We only see their strikes. Strikes on our energy, people without electricity, strikes on our infrastructure, our critical infrastructure—this doesn't suggest Russia is interested in the peace process."
The presidential office reinforced Zelenskyy's message, telling Euromaidan Press that Putin "doesn't want to cease fire under any circumstances until he achieves his ultimatums."
"Ukraine accepted all ceasefire proposals, and it was Russia that ultimately rejected them," the office said. "Russia has never agreed to a real ceasefire, because constant attacks are the only way for Russia to push its demands on Ukraine."
Kyiv debunks claims it rejected August ceasefire proposal
The presidential office was responding to claims from MP Honcharenko that Ukraine had rejected an energy ceasefire proposal at a Trump-Zelenskyy meeting in August, supposedly because Kyiv was successfully striking Russian refineries and saw it as a "position of strength."
"There was never any proposal that supposedly Ukraine would go for a ceasefire and in an hour Russia would follow," the office said.
The office confirmed no such conversation took place in August, calling the claim fake.
March ceasefire collapsed immediately
The office also addressed the Trump-brokered energy ceasefire from March 2025.
"President Trump really wanted [a ceasefire] at the beginning of the year. Ukraine accepted all ceasefire proposals, and it was Russia that ultimately rejected them," the office said. "When at the beginning of the year there were attempts to make a ceasefire, Russia violated them literally from the start."
The March deal, announced after a Trump-Putin phone call, was supposed to halt strikes on energy infrastructure for 30 days. But Russia violated the agreement more than 30 times, according to Ukraine's Foreign Ministry. The agreement collapsed in April without being renewed.
Russia unilaterally claimed the ceasefire had started on 18 March—the day of the Trump-Putin call—while Ukraine said it had only agreed to "develop measures for implementing" such a ceasefire. The two sides never agreed on a common list of protected facilities.
Just a week after the supposed deal, Russia shattered the ceasefire with a massive wave of missile and drone strikes aimed at Ukrainian power plants.
Putin secured protection for Russian refineries while giving up nothing
Analysts noted at the time that Putin's handling of the March negotiations was a "masterclass" in strategic maneuvering—securing protection for Russian oil refineries, which Ukraine had been successfully striking, while offering minimal concessions in return.
Throughout 2025, Russia has repeatedly rejected US-backed ceasefire proposals, demanding Ukraine's total surrender instead.
