Trump declares Russia-Ukraine energy ceasefire

Washington, October 11 (IANS) US President Donald Trump on Sunday announced an immediate "energy ceasefire" between Russia and Ukraine, saying both sides had agreed to stop attacking each other's energy infrastructure, even as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had not been informed and Moscow offered no confirmation."Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it! Thank you for your attention to this matter," Trump wrote on Truth Social.The White House repeated the announcement on X about 20 minutes later. "Effective Immediately: An Energy Ceasefire in the War between Russia and Ukraine," it posted.Trump did not say when the truce was agreed, which facilities it covered, how long it would last, or how it would be monitored.Neither the Kremlin nor the Ukrainian government issued a formal statement confirming the arrangement in the hours after the post.Zelensky, speaking to Axios shortly after the announcement, said he had not known about it but would accept a truce if Moscow did."The ceasefire announcement was news for me. But if Russians agree to an energy ceasefire, Ukraine will agree," Zelensky said."If President Trump negotiated it with Putin - please tell us when the ceasefire begins - we are ready and we will accept it," he added.A senior Ukrainian official told the Kyiv Independent that Kyiv had no information about the ceasefire and doubted that Russia had been informed.Earlier on Sunday, Zelensky had offered a reciprocal halt. "Ukraine will be ready to stop striking Russian oil refineries if Russia stops striking our energy infrastructure," he wrote on X, adding that any de-escalation must be mutual and backed by real guarantees.The announcement came two days after Trump unveiled an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to release Russian diesel into American and global markets, a move criticised by Ukraine, European officials and US lawmakers from both parties.The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued General License 135, authorising certain transactions involving Russian-origin diesel until April 2027.On Saturday, Trump blamed Zelensky for continuing drone attacks on Russian refineries and said Ukraine should "get a new leader who can make a deal".This is not the first such announcement. Last month, Trump said on Truth Social that Russia and Ukraine had agreed not to hit each other's energy targets. Axios reported that neither side confirmed a deal at the time, and both continued attacking energy infrastructure.