Ukraine ready for mutual halt to strikes on infrastructure with Russia

NATO is moving to increase military support for Ukraine and bolster defences along the alliance's eastern border with Russia in the wake of a persistent barrage of Russian drones, while Poland has pledged to increase security near the country's frontier.

In regard to US President Donald Trump's remarks that Ukraine and Russia have agreed not to hit each other's energy targets, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expresses willingness to sign on to a deal to support de-escalation but expects specifics from allies, saying any such accord must be reliable and long-term.

A video shared on Telegram shows the moment the Russian drone struck a train near the Ukraine-Poland border on Sunday, with passengers running away along the Yahodyn railway platform.

A group of European dignitaries including the former prime ministers of the UK and Sweden, who had purposely left the station, were suspected to be the intended target, according to Ukraine's state rail operator Ukrzaliznytsia.

At NATO's political headquarters in Brussels, its Secretary-General Mark Rutte frames Sunday's attack as a sign of Moscow's growing desperation and says it is bound to spur the 32-nation alliance's backing of Kyiv.

Rutte says: "Our answer is to increase support to Ukraine so it has what it needs to defend itself. The strikes yesterday on trains in Ukraine close to NATO's territory again, I believe, show Putin's desperation and also his desire to sow fear and terror."

Meanwhile, Trump declares on social media the two warring states have agreed to "not to hit" each other's energy infrastructure.

Prior to that, Trump has called on Zelenskyy to cease attacks on Russian diesel fuel facilities, a proposal welcomed by Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, who says any nation that uses its influence on the Kyiv regime to encourage it to show greater flexibility will contribute to the settlement process.

The Ukrainian leader posts on Telegram late Monday that his country will pause strikes on the condition that allies can secure a genuine Russian commitment for a ceasefire, because he's not convinced that Russia is willing to stick to any agreement.

Zelenskyy notes he expects "concrete proposals" from Ukraine's partners, as its energy facilities, port infrastructure, logistics and even food and pharmaceutical warehouses have become targets.

He adds, "The war must be ended, and a de-escalation step regarding critical infrastructure could be a first step toward peace."