Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking in a televised interview on Sunday, indicated that elections in Ukraine could take place under the condition of a 60-day full ceasefire with Russia, while asserting that the choice of national leadership belongs to Ukrainian society rather than to outside voices. The statement came the day after former U.S. President Donald Trump publicly called for Ukraine to install a president willing to bring the conflict to a close.
Zelenskyy conveyed to Trump's team that a 60-day full ceasefire was the condition under which Ukraine would organise elections. In the television interview, he added that Ukraine stood prepared for de-escalation measures of any kind, and that if Russia wanted Ukrainian forces to halt strikes on fuel and refinery infrastructure, the request to Trump was that he send Moscow a corresponding signal to leave Ukraine's energy grid untouched.
A Yandex data centre was destroyed by a drone on Sunday, marking the third of the company's facilities to be struck within a four-day span, as Ukrainian forces continued to carry out attacks against targets deep inside Russian territory.
Aerial exchanges at long range have continued between the two nations while ground forces on both sides have held largely static positions along the front for more than four and a half years since the full-scale offensive began. Zelenskyy posted on X that halting strikes on energy infrastructure was achievable immediately but that the opposing leadership had not moved toward that outcome, and that any reduction in hostilities would require mutual action supported by verifiable commitments, including an end to attacks on civilians. Diesel vehicles would not be targeted under the terms of the proposed arrangement. He described the arrangement as one he viewed as equitable.
In a post on X late Saturday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha responded to Trump's comments by stating that Zelenskyy was guiding the country through a war for its sovereignty, adding that Zelenskyy held the backing of the Ukrainian people, who retained the authority to determine their own path. Sybiha noted in the written statement that messages arriving from other countries served, in his view, as an indication that the role was being carried out effectively.
On Saturday, Trump called for Ukraine's leadership to be replaced, contending that Zelenskyy had failed to pursue available opportunities to reach a negotiated settlement, and urged Ukrainians to find a leader capable of concluding such an agreement.
On Friday, an agreement to purchase diesel from Russian President Vladimir Putin was announced, with the stated rationale being a need to address elevated fuel costs before the midterm elections. The deal came alongside weeks in which Zelenskyy had faced sustained pressure from Trump to stop targeting Russian energy infrastructure. Officials from Ukraine and European governments expressed concern over the diesel agreement, contending that proceeds from it would flow toward funding Russia's military operations.
