Zelensky offers mutual halt to energy strikes as Ukraine seeks Patriot ‘winter package’
Ukraine proposes to stop strikes on Russian energy sites if Moscow ends attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, with the US set to pass the offer to Russia. At the same time, Kyiv is asking Washington for more Patriot interceptors and licenses to produce the air-defense system at home.
Ukraine is trying to curb one of the most damaging fronts of the war before winter: the battle over power and fuel.
President Volodymyr Zelensky says Kyiv is ready for an energy ceasefire in which Ukraine would halt strikes on Russian energy facilities if Russia stops attacking Ukrainian energy infrastructure. He described the offer as applying to all energy infrastructure on both sides.
Zelensky said the United States will convey Ukraine’s proposal to Russia and underlined that Washington has not asked Kyiv to stop its strikes unilaterally. In a separate comment carried in Ukrainian, he noted that, without a reciprocal arrangement, Russian oil refineries will continue to burn until President Vladimir Putin agrees to some form of mutual truce.
This offer comes after previous Russian missile and drone campaigns shredded parts of Ukraine’s power grid in winter, causing blackouts and hitting heating, water and basic services. Ukraine, in turn, has struck Russian oil refineries and fuel facilities, including an overnight attack that reportedly damaged a refinery in Samara.
Alongside the ceasefire proposal, Zelensky is pushing for stronger air defenses ahead of the cold months. He says Ukraine is seeking a “winter” package of Patriot missiles from the US and wants licenses to produce Patriot systems domestically with cooperation from manufacturer Raytheon. According to Zelensky, Raytheon is ready, Trump is positive about licenses, and any such project would take roughly a year to a year and a half, making it a long‑term measure rather than immediate relief.
French President Emmanuel Macron is also calling for limits on energy attacks. He has backed what he calls a “double moratorium”: first, a halt to strikes on energy and civilian infrastructure; second, a Black Sea moratorium aimed at unblocking grain supplies and improving food security.
The next clear indicators will be whether Russian and Ukrainian strikes on each other’s energy networks actually decrease, whether the US formally advances discussions on Patriot production licensing, and whether Macron’s proposed moratoriums gain any visible support or enforcement mechanism.
Sources
- OSINT