Russia-Ukraine energy ceasefire announced by Trump, but Moscow has yet to confirm the deal as attacks on energy facilities continue.
US President Donald Trump has claimed that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to stop attacking each other’s energy infrastructure with immediate effect, but the announcement has not yet been confirmed by Moscow, leaving questions about how the proposed ceasefire would work.
Trump made the announcement on Sunday through his Truth Social platform, declaring that both sides had agreed to halt the attacks. He provided no details about the terms, duration or implementation of the arrangement.
“Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!” Trump wrote.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the announcement had come as a surprise, but Kyiv was prepared to support a halt to attacks on energy facilities if Russia accepted the same conditions.
In an initial response to Axios, Zelenskyy said the announcement “was news for me”. He later confirmed Ukraine’s support in a statement on X, adding that Kyiv was waiting for further information from Washington.
“Ukraine supports the ceasefire, and it’s important for Russia to support it as well,” Zelenskyy wrote.
The Ukrainian president said he had discussed the proposal with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
The announcement came amid disagreements between Washington and Kyiv over Trump’s decision on Friday to ease restrictions on Russian diesel exports in exchange for fuel supplies. Under the arrangement described in the original report, Russia would supply more than 300,000 metric tonnes of diesel to American and international markets.
Trump has connected Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries with rising diesel prices in the United States, where his Republican Party faces congressional elections in November. Zelenskyy criticised the decision to ease restrictions, arguing that additional energy revenues would help Moscow finance its war against Ukraine.
Trump responded on Saturday by urging Kyiv to stop attacking Russian refineries and questioning Zelenskyy’s leadership.
“I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal,” Trump told reporters.
Speaking to ABC News on Sunday, Zelenskyy rejected outside pressure over Ukraine’s leadership. However, he said he would organise elections if Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a 60-day ceasefire.
“Please tell Putin, give us two months, 60 days of total ceasefire, 60 days, and we will organise elections,” Zelenskyy said.
Ukraine’s election restrictions are linked to martial law, which has remained in force since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Ukrainian law prohibits elections during martial law.
Zelenskyy also reiterated that Ukraine would stop striking Russian oil refineries if Moscow halted attacks on Ukrainian electricity and heating infrastructure. However, reports of further Russian strikes raised immediate doubts about whether the proposed energy ceasefire was being observed.
According to Ukrainian officials, Russian attacks continued on Sunday, including strikes on energy facilities in Kyiv and Kharkiv. The attacks followed deadly Russian bombardments over the weekend. Ukrainian authorities reported that 23 people, including four children, had been killed in strikes on Zaporizhzhia, according to reporting by the Associated Press. Six people were also reported injured in overnight strikes in the Dnipropetrovsk region, according to Ukraine’s emergency services.
Ukraine also carried out a drone attack on a Yandex data centre in Vladimir, east of Moscow, on Sunday. The strike forced the Russian technology company to suspend operations at the facility. The BBC reported that it was the third attack on Yandex infrastructure within a week, following earlier strikes in Sasovo and Kaluga. Yandex reported disruptions to several services but said nobody was injured in Sunday’s incident.
The proposed ceasefire has also emerged amid wider tensions between the United States and its European allies over Washington’s decision to ease restrictions on Russian diesel exports. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned that the arrangement could provide Moscow with additional revenue to support its military campaign. She said EU foreign ministers planned to consider sanctions targeting about 1,600 individuals and organisations on Monday.
The uncertainty surrounding Trump’s announcement is not without precedent. He previously announced an energy ceasefire in September, but neither Russia nor Ukraine subsequently confirmed an agreement, and attacks continued.
For now, Ukraine has publicly expressed support for a reciprocal halt to attacks on energy infrastructure, while Moscow has yet to confirm that it has accepted the proposal. With strikes reported after Trump’s announcement and no published terms governing the arrangement, it remains unclear whether the declaration will lead to a sustained reduction in attacks on power plants, heating systems, oil refineries and other energy facilities.
