President Donald Trump announced an immediate energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, but Ukrainian officials reported continued Russian attacks on energy infrastructure, including a power plant in Kharkiv.
President Donald Trump claimed on Sunday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an "energy ceasefire," stating on social media that the truce was effective immediately. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Russian forces continued to strike energy sites in Kyiv and Kharkiv after the announcement.
Trump posted on Truth Social: "Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!" He did not provide specific details about the alleged pact. The White House referred media inquiries to the social media post when asked for further information.
The announcement comes amid soaring global energy costs during the U.S. war with Iran. CNBC notes that a truce could help alleviate the oil and gas crunch ahead of winter, though it does not attribute this specific framing to Trump's statement itself. Trump has previously blamed high U.S. diesel prices on Ukraine and recently struck a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to bring Russian diesel to the market.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine "welcomed" the announcement as "good news for everyone" but stated that Russia was still hitting energy infrastructure. "Unfortunately, Ukrainian skies have been infested with Russian `shaheds’ all day today," Zelenskyy said in an evening address, referring to drones launched by Moscow. "There have been glide bomb strikes and strikes on our energy infrastructure too. A power plant in Kharkiv was attacked this evening."
The Ukrainian presidential office confirmed that the attack on the Kharkiv power plant occurred after Trump’s ceasefire post. Zelenskyy added that Ukraine was "ready to refrain from striking Russian energy infrastructure -- and we count on the same readiness from Russia."
Zelenskyy said he is awaiting details from the American side. "For our part, Ukraine always FULLY supports steps toward de-escalation, the protection of lives, and the decisions needed to end the war and guarantee lasting peace," he said. He also stated that Ukraine would only stop attacking oil refineries if Russia halted its attacks on Kyiv’s electric grid.
In an interview on ABC’s "This Week," Zelenskyy asked Trump to "give them [a] signal, not [to] attack energy infrastructure of Ukraine." He noted that Ukraine has proposed many de-escalatory steps but that Putin "had one answer to all of them -- `nyet.’"
The exchange occurred as Ukrainian drones struck a Yandex data center in Vladimir, east of Moscow, causing outages across the company’s services. This was the third strike on Yandex facilities in four days. Meanwhile, search and rescue operations ended in Zaporizhzhia after a Russian bombing on Saturday, with Zelenskyy reporting 23 people killed, including four children.
The discrepancy between Trump’s declaration of a ceasefire and the continued attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure highlights the fragility of diplomatic efforts in the conflict. With winter approaching, the status of energy facilities is critical for civilian survival in Ukraine, while global energy markets remain sensitive to developments in the region.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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