Trump Declares Russia-Ukraine ‘Energy Ceasefire,’ but Kyiv Reports Fresh Strikes and Moscow Stays Silent

President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an immediate “energy ceasefire,” halting strikes on each other’s power and fuel infrastructure. Within hours, Ukrainian officials said Russian drones had hit power plants in Kyiv and Kharkiv, and by Monday the Kremlin had still not confirmed that any agreement existed.

“Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!” Trump wrote in a brief post on Truth Social, saying the pause took effect immediately. He gave no details on its terms, how it would be monitored or how it was negotiated.

Kyiv learned of the deal from the media

Speaking at the Warsaw Security Forum on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his government had not been consulted. “We did not know about that. We’ve learned that from the media as well,” he said, adding that he had seen no public endorsement from Moscow.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine was “horribly surprised” that, after Trump’s post, Russian forces struck a power plant in Kharkiv, a gas production facility and a civilian gas station. “It was clear that Putin does not read Truth Social,” he said.

He nevertheless signaled that Kyiv would comply on a reciprocal basis. “We are ready to respect an energy ceasefire if Russia is ready to do the same,” Zelenskyy said, while warning that if Moscow refused a pause this winter, “we will respond.”

Moscow offers no confirmation

Russian officials did not comment directly on the announcement. A senior member of the State Duma’s energy committee told Russian media he had no information about any deal, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov instead used weekend interviews to say Ukraine’s leadership must show “political will” to accept realities on the ground.

Earlier in the week, Peskov had dismissed the idea of a sector-specific truce, arguing that Kyiv was seeking a pause only in the area that represents its greatest vulnerability. Trump made a similar claim on Sept. 14 that both sides had agreed not to hit energy targets; that arrangement never took hold.

Strikes continue on both sides

Kharkiv regional prosecutors said Monday that Russian forces attacked an energy facility on the city’s outskirts, and a Sunday evening drone strike on the nearby village of Pisochyn killed three people and injured nine, including children. Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 121 drones and a guided missile overnight, and that 89 of the drones were downed or suppressed.

Ukraine has pressed its own long-range campaign against Russian refineries and infrastructure. A Ukrainian drone strike on Sunday knocked out a Yandex data center in the city of Vladimir, east of Moscow, disrupting taxi and banking services across dozens of Russian cities. Russia’s Defense Ministry said it intercepted 151 Ukrainian drones overnight.

Diesel deal and European skepticism

The announcement came two days after Trump struck a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to import Russian diesel, part of an effort to ease high U.S. fuel prices ahead of the November midterm elections. Trump has spent weeks urging Kyiv to stop striking Russian refineries, which he has linked to elevated global diesel prices.

European officials greeted the ceasefire claim cautiously. “We haven’t yet seen that also Russia will stick to it,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said at a meeting of foreign ministers in Luxembourg, adding that a ceasefire should also protect people, “not only energy.” Estonia’s foreign minister said the diesel deal was unlikely to change fuel prices and was “much more connected to the domestic situation in the U.S.”

Kallas also rejected Trump’s weekend remarks that Ukraine needs a new president, saying elections were not feasible without a ceasefire. Zelenskyy said Ukraine could organize a vote if it secured a full truce lasting at least 60 days.