In a post on his Truth Social platform, the US president claimed that Moscow and Kyiv had agreed to a mutual halt to attacks on energy infrastructure.
“Effective immediately, an energy ceasefire is in place in the war between Russia and Ukraine. Both sides have agreed. Do not violate it!” Donald Trump wrote.
The announcement concerns only the suspension of strikes on power stations and refineries, not a full ceasefire on the front lines. However, so far there has been no official confirmation from the Kremlin.
Zelensky’s Response: “It Was News To Me, But We Are Ready”
For his part, the Ukrainian president told Axios that he was not aware of any finalized agreement, but made it clear that Kyiv is willing to respect it if Russia stops its attacks.
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“The announcement of the ceasefire was news to me. But if the Russians agree to an energy ceasefire, Ukraine will agree. If President Trump negotiated with Putin, please tell us when it starts. We are ready and we will accept it,” Volodymyr Zelensky said.
At the same time, in an interview with ABC, the Ukrainian leader responded to Trump’s criticism about the need for a change of leadership in Kyiv by proposing elections, under one clear condition: “Tell Putin to give us 60 days of a full ceasefire and we will organize elections.”
The Background, Fuel Prices And Tensions
The move comes at a time of intense diplomatic friction. On Saturday, Trump sharply criticized Zelensky over Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries, arguing that they are driving up international diesel prices and causing problems for the global economy.
Rising fuel prices are a thorny political issue for Republicans ahead of the upcoming US midterm elections. Zelensky, however, made it clear that the price increases are due to the wider crisis in the Middle East and repeated that attacks on Russian refineries will stop only as part of a mutual de-escalation and with “real guarantees.”
Analysts See “Cautious Optimism”
Commenting on the developments on Sky News, military analyst Rob Clark noted that an energy ceasefire would give Ukraine valuable breathing room from the extensive damage to its infrastructure, but he warned about Moscow’s reliability.
As he pointed out, a similar agreement in March of last year quickly collapsed, and he urged the international community to treat such announcements with caution until they are confirmed in practice.