Less than an hour before Trump made his announcement, Volodymyr Zelensky had reiterated Ukraine would halt attacks on Russian refineries if Moscow ended strikes on its energy infrastructure.
“Don’t attack us. Don’t kill our children. We will stop attack[ing] your diesel,” he told ABC’s This Week. “And I think it’s [a] fair, fair deal.”
Zelensky also indicated he’d be ready to hold fresh elections in exchange for a 60-day “total ceasefire” after the US president on Saturday said it was time “for a new leader” in Kyiv.
He previously resisted calls from the US for fresh
elections, pointing to complications with holding a vote in parts of the
country that are active war zones or under Russian occupation.
He, however, insisted that it was up to Ukrainian voters “to choose one or another
person” to lead the country.
