President Donald Trump claimed Sunday that Ukraine and Russia have agreed to an “energy ceasefire” as part of the ongoing conflict. There was no immediate confirmation from Moscow, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reportedly said this “was news for me.”
Trump made a similar announcement a month ago, only for the two sides to continue their aerial attacks on each other’s energy facilities.
“Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Sunday morning. “Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!” He did not elaborate further on what the ceasefire might include.
Zelenskyy told Axios that he knew nothing about a ceasefire deal.
“But if Russians agree to an energy ceasefire Ukraine will agree,” Zelenskyy said, according to Axios. “If President Trump negotiated it with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin — please tell us when the ceasefire begins — we are ready and we will accept it.”
NBC News has reached out to Zelenskyy’s office for further comment.
It follows a dramatic few days in which Trump agreed to a diesel deal with the Kremlin, demanded Kyiv halt attacks on Russian oil refineries and called for Zelenskyy to be replaced. The shift left Kyiv and its European allies reeling.
The U.S. agreed Friday to lift sanctions on Russian fuel in a deal that Trump said would see Russia “immediately” release 300,000 tons of diesel “to the American and global marketplace,” followed by 500,000 tons in November and another million after that.