Russia-Ukraine conflict escalates: Zelensky visits the United States to seek ceasefire agreement on energy facilities

In the early morning of Tuesday (September 22), Russia and Ukraine launched long-range attacks on each other: Russia used missiles and drones to bomb four areas of Ukraine, killing four people; the Ukrainian army's drone hit a Russian oil refinery remotely.

On the front line, the war situation has hardly changed. Against this background, Ukrainian President Zelensky began his visit to the United States. He plans to meet with U.S. President Trump and other leaders of many countries during the United Nations General Assembly in New York, hoping to win their help to end Russia's four-and-a-half-year-long comprehensive invasion of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the annual meeting.

According to Western estimates, the Russia-Ukraine war has caused more than 500,000 casualties among Russian soldiers. Moscow attacked Ukraine's power grid, and Ukraine continued to launch drone attacks on Russian oil refineries. Trump blamed Kiev for the escalation of the energy war. In his view, attacks on Russian oil refineries were the main factors leading to international diesel shortages and soaring prices.

Trump wants Russia and Ukraine to halt mutual attacks on energy facilities

On Monday, Trump posted on the "Truth Social" platform, "Unfortunately, Russia has lost control of its diesel industry due to the war with Ukraine. A large number of their diesel refineries have been blown up and are at least temporarily out of production."

The tight global energy supply situation is not unrelated to the Iran war and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. It is expected that Trump will urge Zelensky to reach a ceasefire agreement on energy facilities during a face-to-face meeting.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday that Trump and Zelensky will discuss a ceasefire on energy infrastructure. "We think it's an excellent idea to have a ceasefire agreement on energy infrastructure, during which Ukraine's infrastructure is not targeted and Russian energy supplies are not targeted. That's a desirable outcome," he said.

Zelensky seeks diplomatic support

Zelensky also wants to ensure that Ukrainian grains and other agricultural products can be shipped to world markets via the Black Sea. Russia's attack on grain ships has severely disrupted Ukraine's exports, damaged Kiev's economy and threatened global supplies.

French President Macron said on Tuesday that he would provide Ukraine with more radar equipment to help protect the power grid. On social media, Macron informed that he and Trump discussed the possibility of Russia and Ukraine stopping attacks on each other's energy facilities, reaching a truce, and suspending Black Sea attacks.

Before attending the UN General Assembly meeting, Prime Minister Zelensky met with US senators in New York. He expressed gratitude for the strong support for Ukraine and the recent passage of a tougher sanctions bill against Russia. He said once the bill is fully implemented, peace and security will be around the corner.

On Tuesday, the Ukrainian military said it hit the Kuibyshev oil refinery in the Samara region southeast of Moscow. According to a statement issued by Ukrainian special forces, several drones hit their targets, causing a fire at the facility. Local Russian officials said the attack killed one person and injured four others. The refinery was also attacked in June last year.

The Ukrainian Air Force stated that Russia’s night attack on Ukraine used anti-ship missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and more than 200 drones. Russia claimed that it had blown up Uzbek missile and ammunition factories.