Russia-Ukraine energy ceasefire: Moscow strikes Ukrainian power infrastructure after Trump’s announcement
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday, October 11, that Russian forces had struck Ukrainian energy facilities, despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of an agreement to suspend attacks on energy infrastructure by both Russia and Ukraine.
Earlier that day, Trump had unexpectedly declared a Russia-Ukraine energy ceasefire, claiming it would take effect immediately. Zelenskyy, however, said he had yet to receive any details of the agreement.
The announcement comes as the U.S. president faces mounting political pressure over high inflation and rising energy costs, which could weigh heavily on the outcome of November’s midterm elections.
Zelenskyy: “Oh, there’s an energy ceasefire? Please, Trump, tell us when it starts. We’re ready to accept it”
The Ukrainian president told Axios that he knew nothing about the proposed energy ceasefire. Nevertheless, casting further doubt on Moscow’s intentions, Zelenskyy said Ukraine would be willing to accept the agreement if Russia honored it.
If genuine, an energy ceasefire, as Trump described it, would represent a significant diplomatic breakthrough ahead of winter.
Trump had announced a similar agreement in mid-September, but neither side confirmed its existence. Throughout the following month, both Russia and Ukraine continued targeting energy infrastructure.
The war with Iran has sent fuel prices soaring, and Trump, campaigning ahead of the midterm elections, is seeking ways to ease the financial burden on American consumers. The elections will determine whether the Republican Party retains control of Congress for the next two years.
In a brief interview following Trump’s announcement, Zelenskyy again told Axios: “If President Trump negotiated this with Putin, please tell us when the ceasefire begins. We are ready, and we will accept it.”
The announcement followed several days of escalating tensions between Trump and the Ukrainian leader over attacks on Russian oil refineries.
On Friday, Trump announced an agreement to ease sanctions on Russian diesel exports, another attempt to bring down fuel prices that prompted a sharp backlash from Kyiv.
Under the agreement, Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 metric tons of diesel to U.S. and global markets, equivalent to approximately 2.25 million barrels of fuel. By comparison, the United States exports roughly 1.5 million barrels of diesel per day.
Several lawmakers, including members of Trump’s own Republican Party, criticized the diesel agreement, arguing that it amounted to a reward for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Moscow partially lifts its diesel export ban
Russia has partially lifted its ban on diesel exports, allowing 500,000 metric tons of fuel to enter international markets, according to a statement from the Russian government.
The decision, which took effect on Saturday, October 10, marks a reversal of restrictions introduced earlier this year to safeguard domestic fuel supplies.
In January, Russia imposed a ban on diesel exports by non-producers before extending the restrictions to producers in July.
European Union warns Trump’s Russian diesel deal will finance Moscow’s war without lowering fuel prices
European officials have warned that President Donald Trump’s agreement to increase Russian diesel sales could help finance Moscow’s war in Ukraine, urging Washington to tighten sanctions instead.
“We would ask the United States to implement sanctions so that we can actually bring this war to an end, and all the consequences of these refinery attacks would no longer exist,” Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, told reporters.
European officials have described Trump’s approach as counterproductive, arguing that the agreement would fail to bring down fuel prices while increasing the financial resources available to Russia’s military, according to Bloomberg.
Over the weekend, Trump renewed his calls for Zelenskyy to be replaced, accusing the Ukrainian president, without justification, of rejecting any proposal that could bring the war to an end.
Appearing on ABC’s This Week on Sunday, Zelenskyy explained that Ukraine would hold elections if Russia agreed to a 60-day military ceasefire.
He also reiterated that Ukraine was prepared to stop attacking Russian oil refineries if Moscow ended its strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
“It is harder to stop Putin than to put pressure on others,” Zelenskyy told ABC.