Donald Trump has claimed that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to an immediate energy ceasefire, but there was no confirmation from Moscow and Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the announcement was news to him.
“Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!” the US president wrote on Truth Social on Sunday.
Trump gave no details about the terms, how the arrangement would be monitored or whether it covered all energy infrastructure, including power stations, oil refineries and fuel facilities.
Zelenskyy later told Axios that Ukraine would accept the proposal if Russia had agreed to it. “If President Trump negotiated it with Putin, please tell us when the ceasefire begins. We are ready, and we will accept it,” he said.
In a separate interview broadcast on ABC’s This Week, the Ukrainian president said Kyiv was prepared to stop attacking Russian refineries if the Kremlin halted strikes on Ukraine’s energy system.
“We are asking President Trump, give them a signal, not to attack energy infrastructure of Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said.
He also said Ukraine could organise presidential elections if Russia agreed to a 60-day total ceasefire, but warned that holding a vote during the war would be unlawful without the necessary security guarantees.
Uncertainty over the Russia-Ukraine energy ceasefire
Neither the Kremlin nor the Ukrainian government immediately confirmed that a formal agreement had been reached. The White House also did not provide further clarification of Trump’s statement.
The announcement came after several days of escalating public disagreement between Trump and Zelenskyy over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure. Trump has blamed those attacks for contributing to high diesel prices, while Kyiv has described its operations as retaliation for Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities and energy facilities.
On Friday, Trump announced a deal involving Russian diesel exports intended to increase supplies and reduce fuel prices in the United States. Ukrainian and European officials have criticised the move, saying it could provide Moscow with additional revenue to support its war effort.
The latest claim also follows Trump’s call on Saturday for Ukraine to choose a new president, prompting Zelenskyy to say that any decision about Ukraine’s leadership must be made by its people.
Russia and Ukraine have continued to conduct long-range drone and missile strikes while their forces remain largely deadlocked along the front line. Any halt in attacks on energy infrastructure could provide temporary relief ahead of winter, but the absence of detail or confirmation has left the status of the purported ceasefire uncertain.
