Zelenskyy Says Russia Violated Trump's Energy Ceasefire; Kremlin Won't Confirm It Agreed

Since Friday, when Trump announced a diesel supply deal with Vladimir Putin, the dispute with Kyiv has moved from fuel to a claimed truce on energy strikes. As of Monday, Oct. 12, that truce is a one-line social media post. Neither side has published terms, and Moscow has not confirmed it.

Zelenskyy: violations already

Speaking by video link to the Warsaw Security Forum on Monday, Zelenskyy said there have already been "Russian violations of the energy ceasefire announced by President Trump." He said Russia hit a Ukrainian gas production facility and a petrol station overnight.

On Sunday evening, shortly after Trump's post, Russia struck a power plant in Kharkiv. Zelenskyy's office confirmed the attack came after the announcement. Large parts of Kyiv were still without electricity and water as repair crews worked after earlier strikes.

Zelenskyy said Kyiv learned of the deal from the media. He told Axios it "was news for me."

"We have not seen that they support this ceasefire anywhere," he said in Warsaw. He added: "It was clear that Putin does not read Truth Social."

He also said Ukraine had refrained from hitting Russian refineries. "We are ready to respect an energy ceasefire if Russia is ready to do the same. We agree if they agree," he said. "If Russia does not agree to an energy ceasefire, we will respond."

He asked Washington to enforce it. "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," he said. He offered to sign formal guarantees if the U.S. wants them.

What Trump said and what Moscow said

Trump posted on Truth Social on Sunday, Oct. 11: "Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!" The post gave no scope, duration, monitoring method, or list of covered targets. CBS News said it asked the White House for clarification.

Peskov was asked about it Monday and would not be drawn. "Contacts continue. As soon as we have something to say on the matter, we will inform you," he said.

Peskov also rejected the 60-day ceasefire Zelenskyy floated Sunday so Ukraine could hold presidential elections. "We do not want a ceasefire," he said. "We want long-term peace and are prepared to do everything possible to achieve it." Kyiv has accused Russia of violating temporary truces in the past.

The two accounts do not match. Trump says both sides agreed. The Kremlin has neither said yes nor disclosed what it would be agreeing to.

How it connects to the diesel deal

The announcement followed a rough weekend between Washington and Kyiv. Trump said Saturday it was time for Ukraine to get a new president. He also blamed Zelenskyy for high U.S. diesel prices.

Zelenskyy answered that Russia alone is responsible for the war. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote that Zelenskyy "has the support of the Ukrainian people, and they have the right to decide."

Trump has said the diesel arrangement, reached with Putin by phone, will put more than 4 million tons of Russian diesel on the global market. The U.S. Treasury then issued a six-month license easing sanctions on Russian diesel already loaded on tankers, with deliveries allowed until April 2027. The aim is to bring down fuel prices before the November midterms.

Critics include Zelenskyy, who said the deal would swell the coffers of the Russian war machine. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney backed an energy ceasefire but denounced the diesel deal, saying it undermined efforts to ensure stability in Europe and end the war. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said "Ukraine is ready if Russia stops its attacks" and called a ceasefire "the best route to get energy and fuel back into world markets."

The strikes that prompted it

Ukraine's Defense Ministry claimed earlier this month that its strikes have knocked 51 percent of Russia's refining capacity offline. Refineries in Moscow, Perm, Saratov, Syzran, Ust-Luga and Yaroslavl are said to be heavily damaged. Those figures are Kyiv's claims.

On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack shut down a data center run by Russian tech company Yandex. It was the third strike on the company's facilities in four days.

Russia, for its part, has targeted Ukrainian power, heat and water for months. Ukrainian officials call this "weaponizing winter."

This is not the first time Trump has announced an energy truce. On Sept. 14 he said both countries had agreed not to hit each other's energy infrastructure. Zelenskyy said Ukraine would comply if Russia did, and nothing came of it.

Oil market

Crude has not priced in a supply boost. Early Monday, December Brent futures were up 0.92% at $105.68 a barrel, and November West Texas Intermediate was up 0.95% at $92.72. Both had been down about 1.5% earlier in the session.

The Singapore bank UOB said in a note that upward pressure could persist, citing Hurricane Isaias and Houthi missile strikes on Riyadh airport that killed 12 people.

What comes next

Zelenskyy said Kyiv is waiting for "the details of the conditions between the Americans and Russians" and for the specific steps Washington is prepared to take. The White House has not said what a violation would cost Moscow. The Kremlin has not said whether it agrees there is a ceasefire to violate.