Trump announces Russia-Ukraine energy ceasefire; Kyiv, Moscow yet to confirm
Washington: US President Donald Trump on Sunday declared an immediate "energy ceasefire" between Russia and Ukraine, claiming that both countries had agreed to halt attacks on each other's energy infrastructure, though Kyiv and Moscow did not immediately confirm the arrangement.
"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 understanding was reached, which facilities it covered, how long it would remain in force or how compliance would be monitored.
Neither the Kremlin nor the Ukrainian government issued a formal confirmation in the hours after the announcement.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had not been informed of the declaration but indicated that Kyiv would accept a truce if Moscow did the same.
"The ceasefire announcement was news for me. But if Russians agree to an energy ceasefire, Ukraine will agree," Zelensky told Axios.
"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 told the Kyiv Independent that Kyiv had no information about the ceasefire and doubted whether Russia had been informed.
Earlier in the day, Zelensky had proposed a reciprocal halt to strikes on energy facilities.
"Ukraine will be ready to stop striking Russian oil refineries if Russia stops striking our energy infrastructure," he wrote on X, adding that any de-escalation would have to be mutual and backed by real guarantees.
The announcement came two days after Trump announced an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to release Russian diesel into American and global markets, a move that drew criticism from Ukraine, European officials and US lawmakers across party lines.
The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control issued General License 135, permitting certain transactions involving Russian-origin diesel until April 2027.
On Saturday, Trump blamed Zelensky for continuing drone attacks on Russian refineries and said Ukraine needed "a new leader who can make a deal".
This is not the first time Trump has announced such a truce. Last month, he said on Truth Social that Russia and Ukraine had agreed not to target each other's energy facilities. However, neither side confirmed a deal at the time, and both continued strikes on energy infrastructure.
(Inputs from IANS)