Kremlin won’t confirm Trump’s energy ceasefire

President Donald Trump said Sunday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an "energy ceasefire" that took effect immediately. Within hours, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian drones and glide bombs had hit power plants in Kyiv and Kharkiv. On Monday the Kremlin still would not say whether it had agreed to any truce.apnews+2

"Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!" Trump wrote on Truth Social. He did not say what targets the truce covered, how long it would last or how it would be enforced.axios+1

Kyiv caught off guard

Zelenskyy told Axios the announcement "was news for me. But if Russians agree to an energy ceasefire, Ukraine will agree." He later wrote that Ukraine was "awaiting details from the American side."lbc+1

In his evening address, Zelenskyy said Russian "shaheds" had filled Ukrainian skies all day. He said a drone had struck a power plant in Kyiv and knocked out electricity in many districts, and that Kharkiv's CHP-5 combined heat and power plant was hit later. "All of this happened AFTER the President of the United States made his statement about an energy ceasefire," he wrote. He said Ukraine's armed forces had "received all the appropriate orders" and that Kyiv was ready to stop striking Russian energy sites if Moscow did the same.kyivpost+3

Ukraine's grid operator, Ukrenergo, announced power restrictions in several regions for Monday because of Russian missile and drone damage.b92

Moscow noncommittal

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Monday that Russia wanted a long-term peace deal rather than a temporary ceasefire. He was rejecting Zelenskyy's offer to hold elections if Russia agreed to a 60-day full truce. France 24 reported that Moscow refused to say whether the energy ceasefire was in force. Igor Ananskikh, a senior Russian lawmaker, called Trump's statement "verbal investments" meant to keep oil prices from rising, Meduza reported. Oil prices fell Monday after the announcement.meduza+2

Trump made a similar claim on Sept. 14, but neither side confirmed a deal and attacks on energy sites continued.news.wfsu+1

Diesel deal tensions

The announcement followed several days of conflict between Washington and Kyiv. On Friday, Trump temporarily eased sanctions on Russian diesel exports to bring down fuel prices ahead of November's midterm elections. Fuel prices have risen sharply because of the U.S. war with Iran. On Saturday, he said Zelenskyy "better damn well stop" striking Russian refineries and that "it's time for Ukraine to get a new president."aljazeera+2

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, France, Canada and the European Union supported the call for an energy ceasefire. Seven U.S. senators, four of them Republicans, said the diesel deal "directly contradicts" a law that bans Russian energy imports.bbc

"Ukraine wants peace," Zelenskyy said. "The question is whether Russia does."b92