Russia continued attacking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure after US President Donald Trump announced an immediate energy ceasefire, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday, casting doubt on whether Moscow had agreed to stop targeting critical facilities.
Speaking by video link at the Warsaw Security Forum, Zelenskyy said Russian forces struck a power plant in Kharkiv shortly after Trump’s announcement on Sunday. He also reported attacks on energy infrastructure in Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine.
“Immediately after the post, Russia launched a targeted strike on a power plant in Kharkiv, causing further damage to our energy system,” Zelenskyy told the conference. Referring to Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social, he added: “It’s clear Putin doesn’t read Truth Social.”
Trump had announced on Sunday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to immediately stop attacking each other’s energy infrastructure. “Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!” he wrote in a post on Truth Social.
However, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian officials learned about the proposed arrangement through media reports rather than diplomatic channels. As of Monday morning, the Kremlin had not publicly confirmed that Russia had agreed to the terms.
Despite the uncertainty, the Ukrainian president said Kyiv was prepared to observe an energy ceasefire if Moscow did the same. “We are ready to respect an energy ceasefire if Russia is ready to do the same. We agree, if they agree,” he said.
Zelenskyy also stressed that any agreement must cover the full energy system, including electricity generation, transmission networks and gas facilities, rather than focusing only on oil refineries.
Ukraine has one oil refinery, in Kremenchuk, which has been damaged by Russian attacks. Russia, by contrast, operates an extensive refinery network that Ukrainian drones have targeted as part of efforts to disrupt fuel supplies and reduce Moscow’s energy revenues.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s willingness to stop strikes on Russian energy assets depended on Russia ending its own attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure and civilians. “If Russia wants us to stop our long-range strikes against its oil refineries and oil exports, then Russia must stop its strikes against our energy system and critical infrastructure, and stop killing our people,” he said.
The scope of Trump’s announcement also remained unclear. Axios reported, citing an unnamed White House official, that the initial arrangement concerned oil refineries, while a broader agreement covering electricity infrastructure could be considered later. That interpretation appeared narrower than Zelenskyy’s call for protection across Ukraine’s energy network.
Reports of further attacks added to the uncertainty. Ukraine’s Kharkiv CHP-5 power plant came under fire on Sunday, while strikes damaged electricity networks in Izyum and energy and railway facilities in the Zhytomyr region.
The violence also affected civilians. Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said a missile struck a grocery store near Kharkiv, killing three people and injuring at least 22 others, including two children.
Zelenskyy said Russia had carried out more than 200 strikes against Ukrainian electricity facilities during the preceding week, along with 17 attacks on oil and gas infrastructure. His remarks underscored the difficulty of establishing whether a ceasefire had taken effect while attacks on energy facilities were still being reported.
European officials also expressed caution about Trump’s announcement. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc welcomed an energy ceasefire if it held, but had yet to see evidence that Russia would respect it.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called for further sanctions against Moscow, arguing that Russia’s continued attacks showed how it was responding to proposals to halt the fighting.
The dispute comes amid broader disagreements over Washington’s approach to the war. On Friday, Trump moved to ease restrictions on Russian diesel exports under an arrangement intended to increase fuel supplies. Ukraine and Finland criticised the decision, while Zelenskyy argued that additional energy revenue would help finance Russia’s military campaign.
The Financial Times, citing unnamed European officials, reported that Washington had threatened to restrict intelligence sharing and weapons procurement arrangements unless Kyiv stopped attacking Russian oil refineries. The report pointed to growing pressure on Ukraine to limit strikes against Russian energy infrastructure even as Kyiv continued to face attacks at home.
Trump has also called for Ukraine to hold a new presidential election. Zelenskyy responded that elections would require a full ceasefire, pointing to martial law and the practical difficulties of enabling frontline soldiers to vote.
He said a 60-day halt in fighting could create an opportunity to prepare for elections and address the legal obstacles. Ukraine has suspended national elections under martial law since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
For now, the immediate question remains whether the proposed energy ceasefire represents an agreement accepted by both governments or an announcement whose terms have yet to be formally established. Zelenskyy’s account of the strike in Kharkiv, together with reports of further attacks, highlighted the gap between Trump’s declaration and the situation reported on the ground.
