US President Donald Trump has announced an immediate energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, claiming both sides have agreed to stop attacks on energy infrastructure, although Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv was still waiting for details.
Trump made the surprise announcement on his Truth Social platform on Sunday after days of mounting pressure on Ukraine to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries. He has blamed the strikes for rising diesel prices, which have become a political liability for his Republican Party ahead of next month’s US midterm elections.
“Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!” Trump wrote, without providing further details.
Moscow had not publicly responded to the announcement at the time of reporting.
The announcement came amid increasingly strained relations between Trump and Zelenskyy. On Saturday, Trump warned the Ukrainian leader that he had “better damn well stop” attacks on Russian refineries and urged Ukraine to elect a new leader, accusing Zelenskyy of missing several opportunities to reach a deal with Moscow.
A person familiar with the situation said Washington had threatened to suspend intelligence sharing with Ukraine and halt weapons procurement through the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) system unless Kyiv stopped striking Russian energy facilities. The Financial Times had previously reported the threats.
The source added that Zelenskyy was discussing ways to de-escalate tensions with Trump with European leaders.
Zelenskyy said he had discussed the proposed ceasefire with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
“Ukraine supports the ceasefire, and it is important that Russia support it as well. We are awaiting details from the American side,” he said in a Telegram post.
However, Zelenskyy later said Russian forces were continuing to attack Ukrainian energy infrastructure, including a strike on a combined heating and power plant in Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city. A Ukrainian official confirmed that the attack occurred after Trump’s announcement.
Earlier on Sunday, Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine was willing to stop attacking Russian refineries only if Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to suspend strikes on Ukrainian power infrastructure.
Election Pressure And Rising Fuel Prices
Trump also renewed calls for elections in Ukraine, which have been suspended since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Zelenskyy said he would organise a vote if 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.
He stressed that Ukrainians should decide their own leadership and that fighting must stop before elections could take place. Ukrainian law prohibits elections under martial law on security grounds.
Zelenskyy also rejected Trump’s suggestion that Ukraine was responsible for rising energy prices, arguing that the war in the Middle East was a much bigger factor.
The surge in global diesel prices following the outbreak of the Iran war in February has put additional pressure on Trump’s Republican Party ahead of the midterm elections, in which opposition Democrats could gain control of one or both chambers of Congress.
On Saturday, Zelenskyy criticised Trump’s announcement of a diesel supply deal with Russia, warning that it could embolden Moscow and lead to more Ukrainian casualties.
Under the deal outlined by Trump on Friday, Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 metric tonnes of diesel to US and global markets, equivalent to approximately 2.25 million barrels of fuel. The US exports about 1.5 million barrels of diesel daily.
Several US lawmakers also criticised the arrangement. Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina said the deal could be illegal and put American lives at risk.
In Kyiv, some residents expressed anger at Trump’s suggestion that Ukraine should replace Zelenskyy with a leader more willing to negotiate with Putin.
“No one has the right to tell us what to do, especially since elections cannot be held during wartime,” said Sabina, a 40-year-old primary school teacher, describing Trump’s remarks as a betrayal by Ukraine’s partners.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials reported further Russian attacks on Sunday, including strikes that killed three people outside a grocery store in Kharkiv and another three in the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk.
Neighbouring Moldova also reported an incursion by suspected Russian drones, with the aircraft landing about 35km from the capital, Chisinau.
