US President Donald Trump has announced that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to an immediate halt to attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the announcement was news to him.
“Effective immediately, there is an energy ceasefire in the war between Russia and Ukraine,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Sunday.
“Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!” he added.
Zelenskyy told Axios that Ukraine would agree to an energy ceasefire if Russia did, while saying he had not known about Trump’s announcement beforehand.
Trump-Zelenskyy spat
Earlier Sunday, Zelenskyy said Kiev was prepared to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries if Moscow stopped attacking Ukraine's energy infrastructure, stressing that any de-escalation must be reciprocal and backed by guarantees.
Trump has attributed rising fuel prices to the Russia-Ukraine war rather than the ongoing conflict involving Iran.
The announcement followed a diesel supply agreement Trump unveiled on Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, under which Moscow agreed to provide fuel to the US and global markets.
Zelenskyy described the deal as a "weak decision", but Trump said Saturday that Ukraine's strikes were to blame for rising fuel prices.
Ukrainian president criticised the deal as a "gift" to Putin, warning that the easing of restrictions on Russian diesel exports could help finance Moscow's war effort.
Trump, in response, called for Ukraine to “get a new president”, saying Zelenskyy has repeatedly failed to reach a deal to end the war with Russia.
“I think it's time for Ukraine to get a new president,” he added.
