Trump's 'energy ceasefire' falters as Russia strikes six energy facilities
Zelensky accuses Moscow of ignoring the energy truce announced by Trump. The Kremlin has no comment on it and rejects a 60-day ceasefire.
Archive image · Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped and resized)
A day after Donald Trump announced an "energy ceasefire" between Russia and Ukraine, Russia attacked six Ukrainian energy facilities on Monday and 33 people were wounded nationwide, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. "It is increasingly evident that Russia is unwilling to accept an energy ceasefire proposed by the United States," Zelensky wrote on X. He said Ukraine had not struck any Russian refineries overnight and that the armed forces had received orders after Trump's announcement.
Zelensky said Ukraine would respect the truce if Russia did the same, but that it must cover the power grid, not just oil. "In Ukraine, we have just one oil refinery," he said in a video address to the Warsaw Security Forum. A White House official told Axios that Trump's announcement covers only oil refineries. In his evening address, Zelensky said the United States has "the strength and the capabilities" to ensure real and reliable de-escalation.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS there was nothing to say yet about Trump's announcement and that contacts were ongoing. He rejected a 60-day ceasefire for elections proposed by Zelensky, saying Russia does not want a ceasefire. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Zelensky had not "earned a break". His Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha responded by calling Lavrov a "war criminal".