Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered to suspend attacks on Ukraine for a single day if the country holds presidential elections, rejecting a broader pause in hostilities sought by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The proposal, disclosed by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday, comes amid disagreements between Moscow and Kyiv over a possible halt to strikes on energy infrastructure, as US-led efforts to secure a ceasefire face fresh challenges, The Telegraph reported.
Peskov said Putin was willing to instruct Russian forces to refrain from attacking Ukraine on the day of an election. He did not announce a wider suspension of military operations, adding that discussions on the issue were still ongoing.
Zelensky has called for a 60-day ceasefire to enable Ukraine to organise elections following comments by US President Donald Trump that the country needed new leadership capable of ending the war. Russia has repeatedly questioned Zelensky’s legitimacy and pressed for changes in Kyiv’s leadership as part of its demands.
The disagreement over election arrangements comes alongside conflicting accounts of a proposed truce covering energy facilities. Trump announced on Sunday that Moscow and Kyiv had agreed to stop attacking each other’s energy infrastructure, but the announcement was not publicly confirmed by Putin or his officials.
Zelensky subsequently said the reported agreement was news to him. Addressing the Warsaw Security Forum on Monday, he accused Russian forces of continuing attacks despite Kyiv’s willingness to observe the proposed arrangement and warned that Ukraine could retaliate if the strikes persisted.
He also criticised a refinery-for-refinery arrangement that he said had been discussed by US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. According to Zelensky, the proposal failed to account for the disparity between Ukraine’s severely damaged refining capacity and Russia’s numerous oil-processing facilities.
The Ukrainian president urged Washington to maintain its support, arguing that cooperation between the United States and Europe was necessary to address the war and its wider economic consequences. His appeal comes as reports emerge that the Trump administration has considered suspending weapons deliveries and intelligence-sharing unless Kyiv halts attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.
European officials have also reportedly been warned that a programme allowing Ukraine’s partners to purchase American weapons for transfer to Kyiv could be halted, raising further questions about the future of US military assistance.
Another point of contention is Washington’s decision to ease sanctions to allow imports of 300,000 tonnes of Russian diesel. Trump has presented the measure as an effort to curb fuel costs ahead of the November midterm elections, while European officials have warned that purchases of Russian energy products could provide Moscow with additional revenue for its military campaign.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys questioned whether the arrangement would ease energy prices or preserve unity between Europe and the United States. German Minister of State Gunther Krichbaum similarly warned that money earned from Russian fuel exports could help finance attacks against Ukraine.
Meanwhile, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Alexus Grynkewich, warned that the alliance would respond to any attack on its members by targeting not only the attacking forces but also the systems sustaining their operations.
European governments have separately raised concerns about alleged Russian-linked sabotage, cyberattacks and assassination attempts, describing such activities as part of a broader campaign to undermine Western support for Ukraine. Intelligence agencies have also warned of possible future military threats to Europe.
The European Union has meanwhile finalised an expansion of sanctions covering nearly 1,600 individuals and businesses linked to Russia. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas described the measure as the bloc’s largest addition to its sanctions list since the invasion began, noting that more than half of those targeted were connected to the ballistic missile production chain.
The latest developments leave the proposed energy truce disputed, while Putin’s offer remains limited to election day and falls short of the two-month cessation of hostilities sought by Kyiv.
