Zelensky: Ukraine ready for partial ceasefire for attacks on energy facilities

Live blog Ukrainian war:

Zelensky: Ukraine ready for partial ceasefire for attacks on energy facilities

Sep 22, 2026, 11:36 p.m. Reading time: 1 min.

US President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj during the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejects the proposal +++ Kiev condemns lifting of sanctions against Russian oligarchs +++ Kremlin reports supply bottlenecks in Russian-controlled city +++ all news in the live blog

You can also find all texts, background information and comments on the war in Ukraine on our special page.

Ben Mengler

Zelensky: Ukraine ready for partial ceasefire for attacks on energy facilities

Ukraine is still ready for a partial ceasefire in the war with Russia for attacks on energy facilities. “That means we will not carry out attacks on energy facilities - on the entire energy sector, on everything,” said President Volodymyr Zelensky after a meeting with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UN general debate in New York. The proposal will be transmitted by the USA to the Russian side. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had previously rejected the proposal, citing the aim of a comprehensive peace settlement.

At the same time, Zelensky emphasized that Trump had not asked him to refrain from attacks on, among other things, the oil industry in Russia. A few days ago, the US President attributed rising diesel prices in the US to Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries.

During the almost hour-long conversation, additional US deliveries of Patriot anti-aircraft missiles from Zelensky were also discussed. "There's actually no answer, you know, when you talk to leaders about sensitive issues. You can either say 'yes' or 'no.' The good thing about it is that no one said “no,” said the Ukrainian president, describing the content of the conversation. Although Washington was ready to help, it still did not give a concrete answer.

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Kyiv condemns lifting of sanctions against Russian oligarchs

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha has condemned the removal of two Russian oligarchs from the EU sanctions list. The decision to lift the sanctions against Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman was “shameful and inexcusable,” Sybiha wrote on the online platform X on Tuesday. He called on EU member states to instead impose “national sanctions” against the two Russian billionaires.

Sybiha further wrote that Moscow was pleased to have “achieved what it wanted: a sense of impunity, the humiliation of the EU and division among Europeans.”

You can read how the EU came to remove the two oligarchs from its sanctions list here:

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Rubio accuses Ukraine of hitting oil ships for US companies

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accuses Ukraine of having attacked ships and oil cargoes linked to the US in attacks on Russia's oil industry. There have been several cases in the past few months, Rubio told the US television channel Fox News. "Maybe not intentionally, but still hit by Ukraine. And that needs to be addressed. We can't let that happen," he said.

In the interview, Rubio blamed the Ukraine war and the rise of the Houthis in Yemen for increased oil prices. US President Donald Trump had previously accused Ukraine of being responsible for high diesel prices worldwide with its attacks on Russian refineries. For Trump, price inflation is a problem ahead of the US midterm elections in November.

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Zelensky praises Latvia for its persistence in sanctions negotiations

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj thanked Riga for opposing the lifting of sanctions for two oligarchs. Zelensky wrote on social media on Tuesday afternoon that Latvia was holding the "legal front" in the fight against Russia's aggressive war.

Russia “increased the number of its murders of civilians” during the night, so the pressure on Moscow must be increased. “As long as the war continues, these names must remain on the sanctions list,” Zelensky added. He spoke out in favor of extending the EU sanctions unconditionally until Russia shows itself ready for serious peace negotiations.

Latvia had opposed the removal of Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the EU sanctions list, pushed forward by France.

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Deadly attacks on Dnipro

Russia attacked the southern Ukrainian industrial cities of Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih and Pavlohrad with ballistic missiles during the night. At least four people were killed and another six injured in Dnipro, the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Olexander Hanscha, said on Telegram. People are still suspected to be buried under the rubble of an industrial plant that was hit.

The Russian military in Moscow spoke of an attack on metal, chemical, energy and defense industries in Ukraine. In addition to rockets, cruise missiles and combat drones were used. There were several air alerts at night in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said three people were injured by drone attacks. There was a fire in a logistics company and a five-story residential building was damaged.

Meanwhile, Russian authorities reported that Ukrainian drones had hit civilian targets in the Russian Volga region of Samara. Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said on Telegram that the anti-aircraft defense had shot down dozens of drones during the night. Nevertheless, private houses and cars were damaged. The region is home to important industrial facilities such as oil refineries. According to the mayor of the city of Samara, Ivan Noskov, an attack on the city, located more than 1,000 kilometers southeast of Moscow, was repelled. Both Ukraine and Russia reject allegations of specifically targeting civilian objects.

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Mathias Peer

Latvia opposes Russia sanctions deal

Latvia is resisting the planned lifting of sanctions against the two Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman under pressure from individual EU states. "The attitude of the Latvian government has remained unchanged. The EU sanctions against Russia should be tightened, not weakened. Latvia cannot therefore agree to the proposal presented," Foreign Minister Baiba Braze wrote on Platform X, adding: As for the positions of other countries, these countries must be consulted. Sanctions in the EU must be decided unanimously by the member states.

Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs also emphasized: "Extending the sanctions by 36 months would be the right step. However, the price for this must not be the simple removal of both people from the sanctions list. Latvia cannot accept SUCH an offer." Kulbergs announced that, together with Braze, he would work with Brussels and Paris on a solution that would meet Latvia's interests. He also called an emergency government meeting in Riga. The ambassadors of the member states are due to meet again this morning in Brussels for consultations.

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Mathias Peer

Zelensky meets Trump in New York

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj wants to meet with US President Donald Trump in New York today. The meeting is scheduled to take place in the afternoon on the sidelines of the general debate at the UN General Assembly. Zelensky spoke to Trump on the phone on Sunday and then said there was “diplomatic momentum” in efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

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Mathias Peer

Russia admits supply bottlenecks in Oleschky

The Kremlin admits there are critical shortages of food and medicine in the Russian-controlled Ukrainian city of Oleshky. ‌The Russian military is working on a solution, the government in Moscow said.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha accuses Russian troops of blocking humanitarian aid and not responding to evacuation requests. In the city of Kherson region, “6,000 residents, including 200 children, are dying of hunger and cold,” he said in a video on Facebook. The Ukrainian delegation wants to raise the issue at the highest level at the UN General Assembly in New York in order to put international pressure on Russia for humanitarian access.

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Mathias Peer

Kallas is pushing for EU sanctions against Russia to be maintained

The EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has called on EU member states to maintain their sanctions against Russia. “We need this stability, that the sanctions remain in place for a longer period of time,” Kallas told reporters in New York. EU diplomats had previously announced that the EU had not yet managed to confirm a fundamental agreement on lifting its sanctions against two Russian oligarchs.

Kallas made the comments after a meeting of EU foreign ministers on the sidelines of the UN general debate in New York. Some member states have requested that certain people be removed from the sanctions list, Kallas said. Therefore, these discussions are currently taking place. She expressed the hope that these would be completed soon.

EU diplomats had previously said that the ambassadors of the 27 member states would meet again on Tuesday morning to reach an agreement before the deadline on Wednesday night.

The fundamental political agreement reached in the afternoon should have been confirmed in writing by the EU countries by Monday evening. But one country, according to diplomatic sources Latvia, opposed it and blocked the agreement. EU decisions in the area of ​​sanctions must be taken unanimously by the 27 member states.

The EU postponed a deadline for extending sanctions last week to this Wednesday at midnight. The reason for this was disagreement over the demand of France and Slovakia to remove the Russian-Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov from the list. France bases its request on “national security” matters without publicly giving details. The British newspaper “Financial Times” reported that the background was a possible agreement on the release of prisoners that affected several French citizens held in Azerbaijan.

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No deal on Russia sanctions for now

The lifting of sanctions against the two Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, which was planned under pressure from individual EU states, could not be decided in the evening as planned. As an EU diplomat announced, the required unanimity was not achieved in the written decision-making process. The ambassadors of the member states are now scheduled to meet again this Tuesday morning for consultations.

Time is of the essence for the EU states. At the same time as the sanctions against Usmanov and Fridman are lifted, it will also be decided to extend the sanctions against around 3,000 other people, institutions and companies. These otherwise expire on Wednesday night. All actors are accused of supporting Russia's war against Ukraine or profiting from the Kremlin's policies.

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UN warns of another harsh winter in Ukraine

According to a UN commission, the civilian population in the Ukraine war is threatened with another harsh winter, which could drastically worsen people's living conditions. Last winter, “millions of civilians suffered from prolonged power outages as well as shortages or loss of heating for days,” the UN Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine said on Monday. The coming winter “could be even more difficult to cope with”.

“During the harsh winter of 2025-2026, Russian forces continued to carry out systematic waves of attacks against Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure as temperatures fell to minus 20 degrees Celsius,” Commission Chairman Erik Mose said as he presented his report to the UN Human Rights Council.

As a result, many people became ill. The Ukrainian authorities also recorded deaths due to the cold. “The ongoing attacks on the energy infrastructure are making living conditions for the civilian population increasingly unbearable.”

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Zelensky reiterates proposal for a limited ceasefire

Before a meeting with US President Donald Trump planned in New York, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky rejected US criticism of attacks on the Russian oil industry. On the other hand, he repeats his proposal for a limited ceasefire: “The Ukrainian energy sector, critical infrastructure and our food exports must no longer be targets for Russia, and this will lead to corresponding de-escalation steps on our part,” Zelenskyj wrote on Platform X.

A meeting between Trump and Zelensky is reportedly planned for this Tuesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform that Russia lost control of its diesel oil industry during the war. A large part of the refineries were blown up and were at least temporarily out of operation. “This ridiculous and endless war with Ukraine must end,” he continued. Zelenskyj agreed to this demand.

More than a week ago, Trump called on Zelensky to stop attacks on Russian refineries and blamed him for a global diesel shortage. However, the war between the USA and Iran is having a particular impact on the global oil market.

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