Zelensky accuses Russia of breaking ‘ceasefire’ with strikes on Ukrainian power plant

It comes hours after Donald Trump said a ceasefire had been brokered, claiming that “both parties have agreed” to the deal “effective immediately”.

Russia struck a Ukrainian power plant hours after Donald Trump announced an "energy ceasefire".

Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russian forces of attacking a joint heating and power plant in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, on Sunday.

It came hours after Donald Trump said a ceasefire had been brokered, claiming that “both parties have agreed” to the deal “effective immediately”.

He posted 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!”.

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However Ukraine promptly accused Russia of launching attacks on Kyiv's energy grid.

"Ukraine supports the ceasefire, and it is important that Russia support it as well. We are awaiting details from the American side," Zelensky said in a post on the Telegram app.

Speaking later in his nightly video address, Zelensky said that Russia was continuing its strikes on the country's infrastructure.

"Right now, there are Shaheds in the sky," he said, referring to Iranian-designed drones.

"And there were strikes, unfortunately, with aerial bombs. There were strikes on our energy infrastructure. Just now, there was a strike on the joint power and heating plant in the city of Kharkiv – hitting Kharkiv's energy system."

Zelensky said there had been more than 200 strikes on Ukrainian generating capacity in the past week and 17 on oil and gas installations.

Introducing an energy ceasefire was "good news for everyone," he said. "It is important that it becomes part of reality."

He repeated Ukraine's longstanding position that Kyiv was ready to halt all strikes on Russian energy installations if Russia halted attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

Andy Burnham announced the UK “strongly supports” Trump’s call for an energy ceasefire, saying it was “the best route” to reintroduce energy and fuel back into world markets.

In a post on X, the prime minister said: "Russia has intensified its strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure over the weekend. This is an attack on Ukrainian civilians, plunging them into cold and darkness.

"The UK strongly supports President Trump's call today for a sustained energy ceasefire to start now.

"I discussed this with [Zelensky] yesterday: Ukraine is ready if Russia stops its attacks. This is the best route to get energy and fuel back into world markets.

In a post on X, the Ukrainian president said he has briefed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that "brutal Russian strikes that continue unabated".

He said that "the Russians struck a power plant in Kyiv with a 'shahed' drone, and many districts experienced power outages".

"Later, there were strikes on energy facilities in the Kharkiv region. And all of this happened AFTER the President of the United States made his statement about an energy ceasefire," he added.

The announcement comes after Trump criticised Zelensky for continuing to attack Russian oil refineries a day after the US temporarily lifted sanctions on Russian fuel that were designed to deprive Moscow of revenues to fund its war in Ukraine.

Trump has been under pressure to bring down fuel prices ahead of November’s midterm elections that will decide control of Congress.

On Friday, Trump announced that Moscow would immediately supply more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel, followed by an additional 500,000 tonnes in November and one million tonnes “immediately thereafter”.

Zelensky said it is easy for Ukraine to be blamed for higher fuel prices "when everybody in the world understands (that) because of the war in (the) Middle East, the prices are rising."