Zelenskyy Says Trump's 'Energy Ceasefire' Announcement Was News to Him
US President Donald Trump announced an 'energy ceasefire' between Russia and Ukraine, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he learned of it from the announcement. Kyiv would accept the truce if Moscow agrees too.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday, 11 October, that US President Donald Trump's announcement of an 'energy ceasefire' between Ukraine and Russia came as news to him. Trump wrote on his Truth Social network that the ceasefire was in effect 'immediately' and that both sides had agreed to it. He gave no further details. The truce would concern attacks on energy infrastructure.
Zelenskyy told the news outlet Axios that Ukraine would agree if the Russians did. He asked to be told when the ceasefire begins, saying Kyiv was ready to accept it. He later wrote on X that he had discussed an energy ceasefire with the leaders of Canada, Finland and Nato and was awaiting details from the American side. Russia has not publicly commented on Trump's claim.
A senior Ukrainian official quoted by the Financial Times said Kyiv had no information about such a deal, adding that repair crews were restoring electricity and water supplies in the city after Russian strikes. Trump made a similar claim in September, which turned out to be untrue.
Dispute over diesel
The announcement followed a fresh row between Washington and Kyiv. On Friday Trump said he was lifting sanctions on Russian diesel exports, arguing it would lower fuel prices before next month's US midterm elections. Zelenskyy called the decision 'weak' and said it would give Putin 'billions' in extra revenue. Trump in turn warned Ukraine to stop hitting Russian refineries and on Saturday said Ukraine needed a 'new leader'.
Zelenskyy stressed that any deal to halt drone strikes must be reciprocal and backed by real guarantees. Don Bacon, a Republican congressman from Nebraska, criticised Trump's call for a change of Ukrainian president.
