Trump Claims Ukraine and Russia Agree to Energy Ceasefire

President Donald Trump claimed on Oct. 11 that Ukraine and Russia had reached an 'energy ceasefire,' a term he described as a major development in the conflict. The claim came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had rejected U.S. pressure for a unilateral halt to attacks on Russian refineries.

In a social media post, Trump stated the ceasefire would take effect immediately, but provided no further details. Zelenskyy, in an Axios interview, said he had not heard of the deal and emphasized that any agreement would require 'real guarantees.'

A senior Ukrainian official told Reuters that Ukraine was prepared to agree to a ceasefire, provided Russia also did so. Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine would only halt attacks on Russian refineries if Moscow ceased its strikes on Ukrainian power infrastructure.

Trump, whose war in Iran has been blamed for high diesel prices that are weighing on Republicans' prospects at next month's midterm elections, previously announced an energy ceasefire in mid-September. However, neither side confirmed that such an agreement had been reached. Zelenskyy said, 'The real cause of the war in Europe is Russia and Russia alone.' He said that a ceasefire was possible but that Putin was unwilling to stop attacks.

On Oct. 10, Trump had warned Zelenskyy to stop attacking Russian refineries and suggested that Ukraine should hold new elections to replace him. Zelenskyy responded by stating that elections could only occur if Russia agreed to a 60-day ceasefire, as Ukrainian law prohibits elections during martial law.

Residents in Kyiv expressed frustration with Trump's comments, with one teacher calling the suggestion a 'betrayal by our partners.' Zelenskyy continued to seek support from European leaders on Oct. 11, with daily conversations around additional air defense packages. On Oct. 12, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha is due to participate in a European Union Foreign Affairs Council meeting that is expected to discuss increasing sanctions pressure on Russia and advancing negotiations on Ukraine’s EU accession.