Russia Continues Energy Strikes After Trump Announces Ceasefire

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that Russian forces struck energy facilities in Kharkiv and Kyiv after US President Donald Trump announced an energy ceasefire the previous day. Speaking by videolink to the Warsaw Security Forum, Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine supports the arrangement if Russia does the same, but reported violations already underway.

Trump posted on Truth Social on Sunday: "Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!" He provided no further details on the terms, timing, or verification. Zelenskyy told Axios the announcement was news to him. He later wrote that Ukraine supports the ceasefire and is awaiting details from the American side.

Russian officials had issued no confirmation by midday Monday in Moscow. The Russian defence ministry's morning briefing made no reference to energy targets. Previous Trump statements about limited energy pauses, including one on 14 September, produced no sustained halt in strikes.

The announcement followed Trump's decision days earlier to ease temporary restrictions on Russian diesel exports. Under that arrangement, Russia would supply more than 300,000 metric tons of diesel, roughly 2.25 million barrels, with additional volumes expected later. Zelenskyy had criticised the diesel measure as providing revenue that could sustain Moscow's campaign. Trump had also suggested Ukraine should replace Zelenskyy with a leader more open to negotiations and had pressed Kyiv to stop striking Russian refineries.

On Monday, Zelenskyy said Russian forces hit the CHP-5 power plant in Kharkiv and other energy sites. A Russian drone attack on Sunday in Kharkiv killed three people and injured nine. Ukrainian air defence forces reported intercepting 89 Russian drones overnight into Monday. In Kharkiv, one person died and eight others, including a child, were injured in an earlier strike that damaged about 30 houses and 11 vehicles.

The European Union's top diplomat expressed scepticism that Russia would observe any such pause. Britain and Canada said they would support an energy ceasefire. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated that Britain strongly supports President Trump's call for a sustained energy ceasefire to start now. France and the EU also expressed support.

Zelenskyy told the Warsaw forum that the energy ceasefire could work and become a step toward ending the war if the Americans step in and ensure Russia respects it. He added that if Russia does not agree, Ukraine will respond. He had earlier told ABC's This Week that Ukraine is ready for de-escalation steps, including mutual restraint on energy infrastructure, and that he had conveyed readiness to Trump's team.

The war has now lasted more than 56 months. Russian forces have repeatedly targeted Ukrainian power plants, substations, and gas facilities ahead of winter. Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries have disrupted refining capacity and contributed to higher diesel prices in some markets. Trump has linked Ukrainian attacks on those refineries to elevated US fuel costs.

NATO sources cited by media reported that Russian casualties in September exceeded 50,000, including as many as 28,000 killed, while Ukrainian casualties for the same period stood at about 5,000. These figures remain estimates from military officials and have not been independently verified in full.

The EU announced on Monday that it had adopted nearly 1,600 new sanctions listings targeting Russia's military industrial complex. The package adds to existing measures on energy, finance, and dual-use goods. Whether the new listings interact with the temporary diesel easing remains unclear from public statements.

No formal text of an energy ceasefire has been released by any of the three capitals. Ukrainian officials continue to state that they will match Russian restraint on energy targets if it occurs. Russian strikes on the reported sites in Kharkiv and Kyiv took place after Trump's post. The practical test of the announcement is therefore the pattern of strikes over the coming days rather than the initial statement.