Trump Declares Russia-Ukraine Energy Ceasefire, but Moscow Stays Silent and New Strikes Follow

US President Donald Trump declared on Sunday, October 11, that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to an immediate "energy ceasefire" halting attacks on each other's power and fuel infrastructure. But neither the Kremlin nor Kyiv has confirmed the details, and Ukrainian officials say Russian strikes continued within hours of the announcement.

In a short post on Truth Social, Trump wrote that there was an energy ceasefire "effective immediately" and that both parties had agreed. He added a warning not to break it. The announcement came a day after he criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for drone strikes on Russian oil refineries, which Trump said were disrupting global fuel supplies and pushing up gas prices in the United States. He also suggested Ukrainians should consider a leader who can make a deal.

Zelensky said Ukraine supports the ceasefire and that it is important Russia supports it as well. Earlier on Sunday, he repeated that Ukraine would stop hitting Russian refineries if Moscow stopped attacking Ukraine's energy system. Speaking to Axios, he said that if Trump had negotiated the deal with Vladimir Putin, Kyiv wanted to be told when it begins. On ABC's "This Week," he said Ukraine would hold elections if Russia agreed to a 60-day ceasefire.

Russia made no public response to Trump's announcement. According to France 24, Zelensky reported several Russian strikes in the hours that followed, including on a Ukrainian power plant, so any pause appeared short-lived. Axios reported that both sides were still attacking energy infrastructure and that it remains unclear whether Russia has agreed to anything.

The announcement follows days of friction between Washington and Kyiv. On Friday, Trump announced a fuel deal with Moscow described as a "very big and important" agreement. Reports differ on the details, with some describing the purchase of 300,000 tons of Russian fuel and others describing an easing of sanctions on Russian diesel exports. Zelensky called it a "gift to Putin."

Ukraine has stepped up long-range drone and missile attacks on Russian oil facilities in recent months, arguing that oil revenue funds Russia's war effort. Ukraine's Defence Ministry claimed earlier this month that its strikes had taken 51% of Russia's refining capacity offline, with heavy damage reported at refineries near Moscow, Perm, Saratov, Syzran, Ust-Luga and Yaroslavl. Those figures have not been independently verified.

This is not the first such announcement. According to the BBC, Trump made a similar ceasefire announcement in September, but both countries continued hitting each other's energy facilities. A similar 30-day energy pause was also announced in March 2025, and it was followed within hours by more Russian drone attacks.

With winter approaching, energy is central to the war. Russian missile and drone strikes on Ukraine's grid have left civilians facing power cuts and damaged infrastructure needed to heat homes and run businesses. Ukraine, meanwhile, has used drone swarms to hit Russia's oil industry. Analysts say the front line has largely settled into a stalemate, which has made energy targets more prominent.

Key questions are whether the Kremlin confirms the deal, whether strikes on power plants and refineries actually stop, and whether Washington pushes for a wider 60-day ceasefire. Fuel prices, US sanctions policy and Trump's relationship with Zelensky will also shape the next phase.