Russia-Ukraine War: Trump Declares ‘Energy Truce,’ Says Both Sides Agree; this is how Kyiv and Moscow reacted | Today’s news
On Sunday, October 11, US President Donald Trump announced that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an “energy truce” effective immediately, claiming that both sides would stop attacks on energy infrastructure.
In a post, Truth Social wrote: “There is an ENERGY Ceasefire in the war between Russia and Ukraine, effective immediately. Both sides have agreed. Don’t break it!”
It is the second time in less than a month that Trump has declared an energy truce between Russia and Ukraine. According to The Wall Street Journal, he made a similar statement on September 14, but Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected the proposal and the two sides continued to exchange strikes.
Trump Declares ‘Energy Truce’, Ukraine Expresses Surprise
Shortly after Trump’s announcement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy first expressed surprise before saying Kiev would support the proposal if Moscow did. In an interview with Axios, the Ukrainian president said the announcement “was news to me. But if the Russians agree to an energy truce, Ukraine will agree.” He added: “If President Trump has negotiated this with Putin, please tell us when the ceasefire will begin. We are ready and we will accept it.”
In a later post on social media, Zelenskyy said: “Today there was a statement by the President of the United States that an energy ceasefire has been secured. This is good news for everyone – and it is important that it becomes a reality.” He added: “Unfortunately, the skies of Ukraine are infested with Russian ‘shaheds’ all day today. There have also been glide bomb attacks and attacks on our energy infrastructure. A power plant in Kharkiv was attacked this evening.”
The Ukrainian president also accused Russia of carrying out strikes in Kiev despite Trump’s announcement. Moscow has not yet issued an official statement confirming whether it has accepted the US president’s proposal for an “energy truce”.
Trump criticizes Zelensky and demands a new president for Ukraine
Trump’s latest statement came after he criticized Ukraine’s president and pressured Kiev to stop attacks on Russian refineries. The US president has blamed Ukraine strikes for rising diesel prices that are hurting his Republican Party ahead of next month’s midterm elections, according to Reuters.
On 10 October, Trump warned Zelensky that he should “damn well stop” attacks on Russian refineries and called on Ukrainians to replace their leader in new elections.
In an interview with ABC News broadcast on Sunday, Zelenskyy said that Russia had carried out 196 attacks on Ukraine’s electricity grid and 20 on its oil and gas facilities in the previous week. He also said that Russian missile and drone attacks on cities killed 153 people during that period.
With Moscow yet to confirm its acceptance and Kiev reporting continued strikes, it remains unclear whether Trump’s announcement will lead to a halt to attacks on energy infrastructure.
