Trump announces Russia-Ukraine energy ceasefire; Zelensky says he was not informed

US President Donald Trump speaks with reporters upon his arrival to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on Sunday. PIC/AFP

US President Donald Trump on Sunday announced an immediate energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, claiming both sides had agreed to stop attacking each other’s energy infrastructure. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had not been informed of the arrangement, while Moscow had yet to confirm it.

“Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it! Thank you for your attention to this matter,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The White House echoed the announcement on X about 20 minutes later, posting: “Effective Immediately: An Energy Ceasefire in the War between Russia and Ukraine.”

Trump did not specify when the agreement was reached, which facilities would be covered, how long the truce would last or how compliance would be monitored.

Neither the Kremlin nor the Ukrainian government had issued a formal statement confirming the arrangement in the hours following Trump’s announcement.

Speaking to Axios shortly after the post, Zelensky said the announcement had come as a surprise to him but indicated that Kyiv would accept the arrangement if Moscow agreed to it, news agency IANS reported.

“The ceasefire announcement was news for me. But if Russians agree to an energy ceasefire, Ukraine will agree,” Zelensky said.

“If President Trump negotiated it with Putin – please tell us when the ceasefire begins – we are ready and we will accept it,” he added.

A senior Ukrainian official also told the Kyiv Independent that Kyiv had no information about the ceasefire and doubted that Russia had been informed.

Earlier on Sunday, Zelensky had proposed a reciprocal halt to attacks on energy infrastructure. “Ukraine will be ready to stop striking Russian oil refineries if Russia stops striking our energy infrastructure,” he wrote on X, stressing that any de-escalation must be mutual and backed by real guarantees.

The announcement came two days after Trump unveiled an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to allow Russian diesel to be released into American and global markets. The move drew criticism from Ukraine, European officials and lawmakers from both major US political parties.

The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued General License 135, authorising certain transactions involving Russian-origin diesel until April 2027.

On Saturday, Trump blamed Zelensky for continuing drone attacks on Russian oil refineries and said Ukraine should “get a new leader who can make a deal”.

Trump had made a similar claim last month, saying on Truth Social that Russia and Ukraine had agreed not to attack each other’s energy targets. Axios reported at the time that neither side confirmed the arrangement, while attacks on energy infrastructure continued.

The latest announcement leaves uncertainty over whether a formal agreement exists, with Kyiv seeking clarity on its terms and Moscow yet to publicly confirm the truce.

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