Trump claims Russia and Ukraine agreed to halt energy strikes

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that a breakthrough had been reached in Russia-Ukraine diplomacy, claiming both sides agreed to stop striking each other's energy facilities. Writing on Truth Social, Trump said Ukraine had agreed not to hit Russian energy targets and that Russia had agreed to reciprocate. In a series of follow-up posts, he also argued that the global rise in diesel prices was mainly driven by the Russia-Ukraine war rather than the situation in Iran.

Moscow offered no immediate response to the claim. Ukraine's presidency declined to comment, but President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a more guarded statement online. He said Ukraine had previously proposed that its partners secure an agreement with Russia to stop the destruction of critical infrastructure as winter approaches, stressing that food, energy and other essentials sustaining life must be protected from Russian strikes.

Zelenskyy nonetheless voiced doubt that Russia would actually honor such an agreement. He said that if partners could guarantee Russia genuinely refrained from striking Ukraine's electricity grid, other energy facilities and food supply routes, Kyiv would be ready to ensure a matching halt to its own strikes. He warned against any deal that merely offered Russia temporary relief on fuel prices ahead of elections at the end of the week, calling for concrete assurances from partners rather than a short-term fix.

The claim comes as US military action in the Gulf pushed oil prices to levels not seen since the immediate aftermath of Russia's 2022 invasion, prompting Ukraine to step up long-range drone strikes on Russian refineries and fuel depots — including attacks on the major online retailer Wildberries, which Kyiv accuses of supporting the Russian military logistically. At the same time, depletion of US Patriot missile supplies due to Middle East deployments has left Ukraine less able to defend against Russian ballistic missile attacks, following winters in which Russia repeatedly targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure to worsen the effects of cold weather.