Allies sent Ukraine ‘signals’ on reducing strikes on Russian oil, Zelensky says

KYIV: Some of Ukraine’s allies have sent Kyiv “signals” about the possibility of scaling back its long-range strikes on Russia’s oil sector as global energy prices have surged, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday. Speaking to reporters in a WhatsApp chat, Zelensky said that Ukraine is ready to reciprocate if Russia stops attacking the Ukrainian energy system, and that Kyiv is open to an Easter ceasefire.
“Recently, ‌following such ‌a severe global energy crisis, we have ​indeed ‌received ⁠signals from ​some of ⁠our partners about how to reduce our responses in the oil sector and the energy sector of the Russian Federation,” Zelensky said in a WhatsApp briefing with journalists.
A source familiar with the situation said US officials had conveyed this message to their Ukrainian counterparts as part of their regular conversations, adding that the initial “signals” appeared to have come from ⁠Moscow.
The US State Department and the Russian embassy ‌in Washington didn’t immediately respond to ‌requests for comment.
The US-Israeli war on Iran ​has squeezed international supplies of oil, ‌gas and refined products, sending prices soaring in the worst disruption ‌to energy supplies in history. Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have already left it scrambling for supplies.
Fresh from a four-day visit to the Middle East, Zelensky said that he had reached agreement with some countries in ‌the region to provide energy support to Ukraine.
Zelensky said at the weekend during his Middle East tour that ⁠he had ⁠reached a deal on diesel deliveries for a year to Ukraine, without providing further details. Diesel is vital for the functioning of the Ukrainian armed forces and the country’s agricultural sector, the bedrock of the economy. During his visit, Ukraine signed framework cooperation deals with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and has said another is in the works with the United Arab Emirates.
In his talks with Middle Eastern leaders, Zelensky raised the topic of air-defense missile supplies, he said, without indicating if any agreements were reached.
Because of the Iran war, Ukraine’s ​international partners were “primarily” sending their anti-ballistic ​missile systems to the Middle East at the moment, and Ukraine was sometimes being forgotten, he said.