Trump Declares an Energy Ceasefire Zelensky Says He Never Heard About

On Sunday 11 October, President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to stop attacking each other’s energy systems. Ukraine’s president said he knew nothing about it. Moscow had not confirmed the deal by the evening, and the announcement came two days after Trump lifted sanctions on Russian diesel and one day after he said Ukraine should find a new leader.

This follows our report on Trump’s call for a new Ukrainian president; this piece covers the announcement and the replies it drew within hours.

Trump said the ceasefire was “effective immediately” and that both parties had agreed. Zelensky said it was news to him but that Ukraine would stop striking Russian energy targets if Russia did the same. No Russian confirmation had been reported by Sunday evening, and Ukraine said Russian strikes on its energy sites continued. A similar announcement a month earlier did not stop the attacks, according to NBC News.

The sequence began on Friday 9 October, when Trump announced a deal to buy Russian diesel. According to the Irish Times account of the week, Zelensky called the decision “weak” and said it would bring Putin “billions” in extra revenue. Ukrainian negotiators were meeting Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Florida when it was announced, and the report quotes one official as saying: “It felt like a trap.”

On Saturday, Trump demanded that Kyiv stop bombing Russian oil refineries. NBC News reported that he said of Zelensky: “I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal, because he could have made many deals.” Zelensky answered that Russia must first halt its own attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. He told ABC he would accept Trump’s demands and organise elections only if Putin agreed to a total 60-day ceasefire.

On Sunday Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine.” He added: “Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!” He gave no details, the Irish Times noted.

Zelensky told Axios that if Trump had negotiated it with Putin, “please tell us when the ceasefire begins.” NBC quoted him as saying “if Russians agree to an energy ceasefire Ukraine will agree.” In an interview with ABC’s This Week he said: “Don’t attack us. Don’t kill our children. We will stop attack your diesel.”

In a post on Sunday he said the US president had stated that an energy ceasefire had been secured, and that he expected Putin to follow through on what Trump had said. Later posts reported calls with Mark Carney, Alex Stubb and Mark Rutte, and a call with Ursula von der Leyen in which, he said, Russian strikes on energy facilities had continued after the US announcement.

Trump eased pressure on Russian fuel exports on Friday, told Kyiv to stop hitting Russian refineries on Saturday, and declared a mutual halt on Sunday. Zelensky’s position did not move across those three days: he would stop striking refineries when Russia stopped striking his grid.

Zelensky answered with a conditional yes. By saying Ukraine “will agree” if Russia does, and by asking Trump to say when the ceasefire begins, he put the burden of proof on the two men who had spoken to each other.

NBC News noted that Trump made a similar claim about a month earlier, after which both sides kept attacking each other’s energy facilities. The Irish Times reported that Ukrainian officials said Russia was still bombing on Sunday and had damaged several energy sites.

The Irish Times cited reports on Sunday that Washington had threatened to cut off intelligence sharing and the Purl weapons-procurement mechanism over Ukraine’s refinery strikes. It also cited the New York Times for the claim that US officials offered the Kremlin economic incentives for a ceasefire, including release of frozen Russian assets. Neither report was confirmed on the record by the officials concerned.

The diesel deal explains the timing in Trump’s own terms. He said it would lower fuel prices before next month’s US midterm elections, and the Irish Times report places the energy ceasefire in the same week.

The first marker is a statement from Moscow, which had not spoken by Sunday evening. The second is whether Ukraine reports strikes on its energy sites on Monday and Tuesday. The third is whether Washington publishes terms, including a start time, as Zelensky asked. Until then the ceasefire has a Truth Social post, no start time and one confirming party, while Ukraine reports that the attacks went on Sunday.