Ukraine has told four countries that it is ready to accept a partial ceasefire covering energy infrastructure and Black Sea shipping, in what would be the first structured attempt to pause the most economically damaging parts of Russia's war if Moscow agreed to reciprocate. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Kyiv had received separate proposals from the United States, India, Turkey and Egypt, and that Ukraine's answer was yes — but only if the two elements were combined.
Kyiv sets its terms: energy and the Black Sea, together
Speaking to reporters on Thursday in comments released on Friday, Sybiha said Ukraine was prepared to stop striking Russian oil refineries if Russia halted its attacks on Ukraine's power grid, alongside a halt to attacks on cargo vessels exporting grain and other farm products through the Black Sea. "We are ready for an energy and Black Sea ceasefire, but only in that combination. Energy and a ceasefire in the Black Sea," he said.
Sybiha noted that the proposals marked the first time India had offered to play a role. New Delhi is balancing its ties with Russia against growing partnerships with the United States and other Western powers, and a new United States sanctions package on Russia could impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on India as a major importer of Russian oil.
Kyiv also repeated its offer of an unconditional ceasefire along the front line. Moscow has rejected that idea, insisting that a comprehensive peace deal must be agreed rather than a temporary truce. There was no immediate indication that Russia would accept the partial arrangement either.
The strike war both sides are being asked to pause
The proposals arrive as the aerial war reaches a new intensity. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia fired more than 100 drones at Ukraine overnight, striking Kyiv and eight other regions, with almost half of them the jet-powered type that is especially hard to intercept. A drone hit a high-rise apartment block in Kyiv, killing one person, and at least four people were reported wounded elsewhere.
Russian aerial attacks also forced the full or partial closure of three bridges over the Dnipro River in Kyiv on Friday, a disruption tactic that snarled traffic across the capital. One of the bridges was hit again on Friday afternoon, Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said.
Ukraine has answered in kind with the long-range drones and missiles it now produces itself, targeting military manufacturing plants and oil refineries inside Russia. Russia's Defence Ministry said its air defences downed 646 Ukrainian drones overnight over Russian regions, occupied Crimea, the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Ukraine attacked four Russian oil refineries overnight but claimed air defences fended off the attacks and key equipment was not damaged. Neither side's claims could be independently verified.
Air defence gaps and the money race
Sybiha said Ukraine is requesting some 300 Patriot missiles from partner countries, because Ukrainian intelligence estimates that Russia is holding 600 ballistic missiles in reserve and can produce up to 140 ballistic missiles per month. The United States-made Patriot system can defend against ballistic missiles, but the interceptors are in short supply due to the war involving Iran.
Money is the other race. Sybiha said Ukraine urgently needs funding to contract future drone production so there are no gaps in supply at the beginning of next year. Kyiv faces a projected budget deficit of roughly $27 billion this year. On Friday the European Commission announced it had disbursed €2.9 billion ($3.3 billion) to Ukraine in its latest batch of financing, which Zelenskyy said would help the country's financial stability and strengthen its defence.
The diplomatic opening comes as the ground war remains close to deadlocked along a front line of roughly 1,250 kilometres, though the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War reported late on Thursday that Russian forces lost control of almost 300 square kilometres of Ukraine between March and September. At the United Nations, High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said on Friday that civilians "are bearing the brunt of this war," calling it "a human rights catastrophe that is growing and intensifying by the week."
A ceasefire limited to power stations, refineries and grain ships would not end the fighting on the ground, and Moscow has so far shown no willingness to stop the campaign that is tearing at Kyiv's infrastructure ahead of winter. But for the first time, Kyiv has publicly named the price of a pause — and the countries now carrying the proposals know exactly what Ukraine will accept.
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