President Donald Trump on Friday declared an “energy ceasefire” between Russia and Ukraine, in which both sides would purportedly refrain from attacking each others’ energy infrastructure.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that Russia continued attacking his country’s oil and gas facilities after Trump’s declaration.
“It is increasingly evident that Russia is unwilling to accept an energy ceasefire proposed by the United States and intends to continue its terrorist air attacks against our people and communities,” Zelensky said on Monday.
“This is what happens when Russia sees the prospect of higher revenues for its war machine,” he charged.
Trump made his announcement on Truth Social on Sunday morning: “Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!”
“It was clear that Putin does not read Truth Social,” Zelensky sarcastically remarked on Monday when denouncing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s latest round of attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
“Unfortunately, Ukrainian skies have been infested with Russian shaheds all day today. There have been glide bomb strikes and strikes on our energy infrastructure too. A power plant in Kharkiv was attacked this evening,” he said. “Shahed” is the name of Iran’s line of kamikaze drones which Russia purchased for use against Ukraine and then copied from its own drone manufacturing plants.
“Overall, this past week alone, the Russians have carried out more than 200 strikes on our electricity generation and transmission facilities in Ukraine, and another 17 strikes this week targeted gas and oil facilities. They have killed more than 150 of our people, and more than 700 people have been wounded,” he noted.
Zelensky said the “energy ceasefire” post from Trump came as a surprise to him, but he was amenable to the idea, provided Russia agrees.
“We support it, but I have not heard approval of this proposal from the Russian side,” he said.
The Ukrainian president said he was even more “horribly surprised” when Russian drones struck Ukrainian power plants, gas production facilities, and even a civilian gas station after Trump wrote his Truth Social post.
“If Russia wants us to stop our long-range strikes against its oil refineries and oil exports, then Russia must stop its strikes against our energy system and critical infrastructure and stop killing our people,” Zelensky said in a video address to the Warsaw Security Forum on Monday.
“An energy ceasefire and other steps to reduce escalation and guarantee security are truly needed here in reality, not just on Truth Social,” he said, seemingly in a dig at Trump for unilaterally announcing the initiative on social media without getting both sides fully on board.
“This energy ceasefire, it can work, and it can become a major step toward ending the war, if the Americans truly step in now and make sure Russians respect it,” Zelensky said.
In Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to comment on Trump’s “energy ceasefire” announcement on Monday morning.
“Contacts continue. As soon as we have something to say on the matter, we will inform you,” he told reporters.
Peskov added that Russia is also cool toward Zelensky’s proposal on Sunday for a 60-day pause in the fighting.
“In the Kremlin, both President Putin and officials at other levels have repeatedly stated that we do not want a ceasefire. We want long-term peace and are prepared to do everything possible to achieve it,” he said.
Peskov said the only limited ceasefire Moscow might be willing to consider would be a one-day truce to give Ukraine an opportunity to hold elections — which could theoretically remove Zelensky from office.
“If they truly want to hold elections in Kyiv, then the president of Russia, the commander-in-chief, will be ready to give an order not to launch strikes on Ukraine on election day, specifically on election day,” he said.
Peskov was referencing Zelensky’s comment on Sunday that he could hold elections if Russia would give him “two months, 60 days of total ceasefire.”
Zelensky, in turn, was responding to President Trump expressing frustration with the effect Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil infrastructure was having on the global fuel economy, particularly the price of diesel fuel.
Trump said he thought it was “time for Ukraine to get a new president,” because Zelensky just “wants to make problems for the world” by attacking Russian oil.
“Zelensky could have settled this war many times. Many, many times. And he chooses not to. Very difficult. It’s a war that should’ve never been started,” Trump said on Saturday.
“We said, ‘You can do whatever you want to Russia. Don’t hit the refineries because that’s a world problem. He wants to make problems for the world. He wants to make problems for our farmers, our ranchers with diesel fuel, because Russia supplies a large portion of the diesel fuel around the world,” Trump said of Zelensky.
“And what does he do? He goes and hits the diesel fuel. He better damn well stop,” the president said.
Trump’s ire was raised by Zelensky criticizing Trump’s surprise announcement of a diesel fuel deal with Russia on Friday.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that under his bargain with Putin, “Russia will immediately supply over 300,000 Tons of Diesel Fuel to the American and Global Marketplace, another 500,000 Tons during the month of November, and 1,000,000 Tons immediately thereafter.”
“Between our TOTAL CONTROL of the Strait of Hormuz, and this great announcement on Russian Energy, Diesel Prices for Americans and, indeed, the World, will be COMING DOWN, IN RECORD NUMBERS, AND FAST!” Trump added.
Zelensky was strongly critical of the U.S.-Russia diesel deal, saying in a phone interview with Axios on Friday that it was “not fair and not honest” and would disperse much of the pressure Ukraine has brought to bear against Russia by attacking its oil industry.
“You know, it looks like a happy birthday present for Putin. It looks absolutely terrible,” Zelensky said, sounding “exasperated and dismayed” to his Axios interviewers.
“What did he get? That he will have more diesel? For whom? More Russian diesel for Americans? It shows weakness to the world,” Zelensky said of Trump’s deal with Putin.