Zelenskyy slams Moscow for rejecting ‘air truce’ proposals as Russia eyes U.S. sanctions escape

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called out Moscow for consistently rejecting Ukraine’s offers of a mutual ceasefire focused on halting air strikes. According to him, Kyiv has long urged Russia to stop targeting civilian zones and energy infrastructure with missiles and kamikaze drones—requests that have been "repeatedly ignored" by the Kremlin.



Zelenskyy stated on 5 August that Ukraine had proposed multiple formats of an ‘air truce,’ specifically urging both sides to avoid aerial attacks on civilian and power-related facilities. He highlighted that Russia had shown zero willingness to honour even partial ceasefire proposals, describing their approach as “extraordinarily cynical.”



Zelenskyy’s message comes amid an ongoing pattern of Russian strikes against Ukraine’s critical infrastructure. Despite not always deploying drones, Russian forces have continued to target energy transformers and power equipment. The Ukrainian leader made it clear: not a single day has passed without Russia terrorising civilians and fuelling chaos across Ukrainian cities.


Zelenskyy’s team reiterated that the core reason for the war is Russia’s imperialistic ambition to “control, subjugate, and kill their neighbours,” not security concerns as often claimed by Moscow. He argued that without this aggressive mindset, “there would be no war.”


The president’s comments follow a Bloomberg report that the Kremlin may now be reconsidering an ‘air truce,’ not out of goodwill, but to escape harsher U.S. penalties. Sources revealed that Russian leadership is mulling concessions to U.S. President Donald Trump as he ramps up pressure for a peace deal.

Last month, Trump threatened 100% tariffs on nations buying Russian oil if the Kremlin did not agree to a ceasefire. By late July, he allegedly gave Putin a 10-day deadline to comply or face severe consequences. This geopolitical heat has reportedly made Moscow more open to a temporary air-based ceasefire.



Zelenskyy has made it clear that Ukraine supports an immediate ceasefire, especially one prioritising civilian safety. But he underscored that trust in Russia remains dangerously low, given its track record of violating every ceasefire deal so far.

Kyiv’s position remains unchanged: a real and lasting peace cannot be built on manipulations or half-measures.