Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia continued attacks on Ukraine’s energy facilities after U.S. President Donald Trump announced an energy ceasefire.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that Russia has continued to strike Ukraine’s energy facilities even after Donald Trump said the two sides had agreed to an energy ceasefire.
Speaking at the Warsaw Security Forum in Poland, Zelenskyy said Ukraine learned through media reports that Trump had secured an energy ceasefire deal with Russia involving a mutual pause in strikes on energy sites.
Zelenskyy said he would be willing to honor such an agreement if Moscow did the same, adding that he had not heard approval from the Russian side. “We support it, but I have not heard approval of this proposal from the Russian side,” he said.
Trump had posted on social media on Sunday claiming the purported agreement offered few details but said the energy ceasefire took effect immediately, adding: “Do not break it!”
The Kremlin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, did not say whether Russia agreed, telling reporters only that “Contacts are ongoing.”
Zelenskyy said Ukraine was “horribly surprised” after Trump’s announcement, when Russia struck numerous energy facilities including a power plant in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, as well as a gas production facility and a civilian gas station.
He also said he was willing to comply with Trump’s requests to stop striking Russian refineries if Moscow halted attacks on Ukraine’s energy system, and asked Trump to press the Kremlin to agree.
Zelenskyy warned that if Moscow does not agree to an energy ceasefire this winter, “we will respond,” and said Ukraine was waiting for details of the U.S.-Russia discussion and what specific steps the U.S. is prepared to take.
Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, said Monday she welcomed the prospect of a pause but has not seen proof Russia would respect it. “We haven’t yet seen that also Russia will stick to it,” she said, adding that she would welcome a ceasefire that also prevents people from being killed.
The EU official spoke as she met foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Monday.
Zelenskyy also addressed the idea of elections in Ukraine, saying holding elections is impossible during wartime, especially with Russian attacks occurring both day and night; he said he would be ready to work toward elections only if Ukraine secured a full ceasefire lasting at least 60 days.
In response, Peskov said in a statement that if a Ukrainian election took place, Putin would be ready to halt strikes on Ukraine “specifically on election day,” and that Kyiv only wanted a 60-day ceasefire “to gather their strength, heal their wounds, and continue the war.”
Ukraine and Russia have both struck energy infrastructure during the war, with Ukraine describing the approach as “weaponizing winter,” and Ukraine also carrying out strikes against Russian energy sites such as oil refineries.
On the same day, the city’s military administration said two people were injured in Russian daytime strikes on Kyiv, and debris from the attacks sparked a fire in a private residential building in the Darnytskyi district.
In Kharkiv region, investigators said a Russian drone attack on the village of Pisochyn on Sunday evening killed three people and injured nine others, including children, according to the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office.
Ukraine’s Air Force said it shot down or suppressed 89 of 121 Russian drones overnight Monday, in an attack that included one Kh-59 guided air-to-surface missile and 76 Shahed-type drones.
The Russian Defense Ministry said its air defences intercepted 151 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions, as well as over the illegally annexed Crimea and the waters of the Black Sea.
The ministry also said its forces carried out drone strikes on Ukraine’s port infrastructure and a bulk carrier heading to Odesa with military cargo on board.
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