President Donald Trump announced Sunday morning that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to an immediate "energy ceasefire" — a halt to strikes on each other's energy infrastructure.
"Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine," Trump wrote. "Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!"
The announcement caught Kyiv off guard. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Axios he had not been informed in advance. "The ceasefire announcement was news for me," Zelenskyy said. "But if Russians agree to an energy ceasefire, Ukraine will agree." He added: "If President Trump negotiated it with Putin — please tell us when the ceasefire begins — we are ready, and we will accept it."
A Ukrainian official told CNN they learned of it the same way everyone else did: "We just read it as you did." The Kremlin issued no immediate confirmation, and the White House did not add details on which facilities the truce covers, how long it lasts, or how it would be monitored.
The move follows a bruising week between Washington and Kyiv. On Friday, Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and announced a deal for Russia to supply diesel to world markets — 300,000 tons immediately, with more shipments expected in November — with the Treasury Department authorizing temporary sanctions relief to move the fuel. Trump says the deal will bring down fuel prices for Americans. Zelenskyy denounced it as a "betrayal" that hands Moscow fresh war revenue, and Sen. Thom Tillis said the arrangement "may be illegal."
Trump has repeatedly blamed Ukraine's drone strikes on Russian oil refineries for pushing up diesel prices at home, with the national average near $6.28 a gallon, squeezing farmers, truckers, and shippers. As recently as Saturday, Trump said Ukraine should "get a new leader who can make a deal."
Zelenskyy himself signaled openness to this kind of trade earlier Sunday on ABC's "This Week": "OK, if they want energy ceasefire, we are open for this," he said. "Don't attack us. Don't kill our children. We will stop attacking your diesel. And I think it's fair, fair deal."
Whether the ceasefire holds now depends on Moscow. Neither side has confirmed the terms, and no monitoring mechanism has been announced.