President Trump announced an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine on Sunday, October 11, writing on Truth Social: “Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!” Two days later, only one of those two parties had said anything resembling agreement.
Where it stands: As of Tuesday, October 13, the Kremlin has neither confirmed nor rejected the truce. Reuters found that Tuesday was the first day since the post without a Russian hit on Ukrainian energy sites, but added: “It was not clear whether Russia had deliberately avoided targeting energy infrastructure overnight into Tuesday.” Moscow, Reuters said, has not acknowledged signing up to it.
Ukraine has said it supports an energy truce. The open question is whether Russia ever agreed to one, and on that, the only person on record saying yes is Trump.
What Trump said about the energy ceasefire
The post itself carried no terms: no start time other than immediately, no list of covered targets, no monitoring. Reuters noted it followed days of pressure from Trump on Kyiv to stop hitting Russian oil refineries, and that Moscow gave no word on it.
Asked on Monday how the deal came about, Trump told reporters that Zelenskyy and Putin had agreed, and explained why, according to Al Jazeera: “Because I said, ‘You agree’. That’s why they agreed, because I said they agree.” Pressed on reports of continued Russian strikes, he did not single out Moscow: “Well, I’d have to look at it and see, because there’s been violations on both sides.”
Zelenskiy was apparently not consulted in advance. Reuters, citing his interview with Axios, reported that he learned of the arrangement from Trump’s post itself.
Kyiv’s position: yes, if Russia stops too
Ukraine’s offer predates the post. In an interview with ABC’s This Week broadcast that Sunday, Zelenskiy offered to halt Ukraine’s refinery campaign in exchange for Russia leaving the Ukrainian grid alone, and urged Trump to lean on the Kremlin. “We are asking President Trump, (to) give them (a) signal, not (to) attack energy infrastructure of Ukraine,” he said, per AP.
He used the same interview to answer Trump’s call for a new Ukrainian president. “Please tell Putin, give us two months, 60 days of total ceasefire, 60 days, and we will organize elections,” Reuters quoted him as saying. AP pointed out a legal obstacle: the Ukrainian Constitution forbids a vote while martial law, in force since the 2022 invasion, remains.
After Trump’s post, Zelenskyy welcomed it as “good news for everyone” and said Ukraine was “ready to refrain from striking Russian energy infrastructure — and we count on the same readiness from Russia.” On Telegram he added that Kyiv was “awaiting details from the American side.”
Moscow’s position: “Contacts are ongoing”
The Kremlin’s first public word came Monday. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, quoted by TASS and relayed by the Kyiv Independent, said: “Contacts are ongoing. As soon as we have anything to say on the matter, we will be sure to let you know.” CNBC, citing Reuters, added that the Kremlin declined to say whether any arrangement would cover only oil refineries.
On the broader truce Zelensky proposed, Moscow was blunt. Peskov said Russian officials “have repeatedly stated that we do not want a ceasefire,” and dismissed the 60-day request as a chance for Ukraine to “regroup, heal their wounds, and continue the war.” Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in the Kyiv Independent’s rendering, said Zelensky had not earned a break and that Russia would not “buy into assurances and promises again.” Al Jazeera translated the same remarks differently.
Nor does the Kremlin’s own written account of the October 9 Trump-Putin call mention any halt to strikes. Putin’s statement on kremlin.ru speaks of Russia’s “willingness to supply oil and petroleum products to the US market,” the diesel arrangement covered in our explainer on the Trump Russian diesel deal.
Claim versus record
| Claim | What the record shows |
|---|---|
| “Both parties have agreed” (Trump, Oct 11) | Ukraine backs a mutual truce; the Kremlin says only that contacts continue |
| Ceasefire effective immediately | Kyiv says a Kharkiv power plant was hit after the post |
| “Violations on both sides” (Trump, Oct 12) | Zelenskyy says Kyiv made no refinery strikes overnight Sunday into Monday |
| Truce holding (Trump) | Zelenskyy, in a Monday post: six energy sites hit; Reuters: no energy targets hit Tuesday |
What happened on the ground
The two sides’ accounts of the first 48 hours conflict, and both are worth stating plainly.
Ukraine’s account: Zelenskyy said Russia kept hitting energy infrastructure in Kyiv and Kharkiv on Sunday, and his office confirmed the Kharkiv strike came after Trump’s post. On Monday he wrote: “Today alone, the Russians have attacked 6 energy facilities in Ukraine. 33 people were wounded across the country.” Naftogaz said Russia struck its gas production sites in the Kharkiv region overnight, CNBC reported. Zelenskyy also said Ukraine had launched no refinery attacks that night.
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The Tuesday picture, from Reuters: no Ukrainian energy targets hit, but heavy missile and drone fire on transport and logistics. Whether that reflected a decision in Moscow, Reuters said, was unclear. Zelenskiy warned in Warsaw on Monday: “This winter, if Russia does not agree to an energy ceasefire, we will respond.”
The stakes are seasonal. AP described Russia’s strategy of cutting power, heat and water to civilians, a strategy Ukrainian officials call weaponizing winter.
Trump has announced this before
This is not Trump’s first energy truce announcement this fall. On Sept. 14, AP reported, he posted that both countries had agreed to stop hitting each other’s energy infrastructure, gave no details, and “nothing came of the proposal.” Al Jazeera’s Washington correspondent Alan Fisher noted that Trump has previously announced Russia-Ukraine agreements that never materialised.
The closest precedent is March 2025. After a call with Trump, Putin agreed to stop attacking Ukrainian energy targets for 30 days, Al Jazeera reported at the time, while declining a wider 30-day ceasefire that Ukraine had said it would implement. Kyiv Post described a pause “which didn’t seem to materialize,” with each side accusing the other of violations and vague terms making blame hard to assign.
| Date | Energy truce event |
|---|---|
| Mar 18, 2025 | Putin agrees to a 30-day halt on energy strikes after Trump call |
| Apr 18, 2025 | Kremlin: “The month has indeed expired”; no new orders from Putin |
| Sept 14, 2026 | Trump says both sides agreed to spare energy sites; nothing follows |
| Oct 11, 2026 | Trump posts his energy ceasefire; Kyiv supports, Moscow silent |
| Oct 12, 2026 | Peskov: contacts ongoing; Kremlin rejects 60-day general ceasefire |
| Oct 13, 2026 | Reuters: no Russian strikes on energy targets that day |
Neil Atkinson, who used to run oil analysis at the IEA, summed up market skepticism on CNBC: “We’ve been here many times before over the last 4½ years, so I don’t think we should build our hopes up too much.” How Kyiv read the diesel move that preceded the post is covered in our report on Zelensky’s reaction to the diesel deal; the state of the wider negotiations is in our Ukraine peace talks tracker, and Trump’s other claims are tested in our claim-by-claim diesel fact check.
The 2025 pause ended on April 18 with Peskov telling reporters: “As of now, there have been no new instructions from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, President Putin.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine?
Trump announced one on Truth Social on Sunday, October 11, saying both sides had agreed. Ukraine says it supports a truce. Russia has not confirmed it: the Kremlin said only that contacts were ongoing, and Reuters reported Moscow has not acknowledged signing up.
Did Russia agree to Trump’s energy ceasefire?
There is no Russian confirmation on record. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on October 12 that contacts were ongoing and Russia would say more later. The same day Peskov rejected Zelensky’s call for a 60-day general ceasefire.
Has Russia kept attacking Ukraine’s energy grid since the announcement?
Accounts differ by day. In a Monday post, Zelenskyy said Russia had hit six energy facilities that day, and his office said a Kharkiv power plant was struck after Trump’s post. Reuters reported that on Tuesday, October 13, Russia hit no energy targets, while noting it was unclear whether that was deliberate.
What happened to the March 2025 energy truce?
After a call with Trump in March 2025, Putin agreed to a 30-day halt on strikes against Ukrainian energy targets. Both sides traded accusations of violations, and on April 18 that year the Kremlin said the pause had expired with no new orders from Putin.
Why does Trump want an energy ceasefire now?
Trump has pressed Ukraine for weeks to stop striking Russian oil refineries, which he links to high U.S. diesel prices. The announcement came two days after he eased sanctions on Russian diesel and less than a month before the November 3 midterms.
Sources
- Trump announces Ukraine energy ceasefire with Russia, surprising Zelenskiy — Reuters (via The Star), Sunday, 11 Oct 2026
- Trump blindsides Ukraine with ‘energy ceasefire’ post — Reuters (via The Canberra Times), 2026-10-11
- Trump says Russia, Ukraine agree to an `energy ceasefire’ but Kyiv says attacks continue — The Associated Press (via CP24), Updated: October 11, 2026 at 3:47p.m. EDT
- Trump insists energy ceasefire holds as Ukraine reports new Russian strikes — Al Jazeera, 13 Oct 2026
- Kremlin has nothing to say on Trump’s energy ceasefire, rejects Zelensky’s truce proposal — The Kyiv Independent (via Yahoo News), Oct. 12, 2026
- Zelenskyy accuses Russia of violating Trump’s energy ceasefire as drone attacks continue — CNBC, October 12, 2026
- Russia hits no energy targets in Ukraine for first time since Trump’s ‘truce’ — Reuters (via The Detroit News), 2026-10-13
- Ukraine’s Zelenskiy tells ABC he will organize elections if Russia agrees to 60-day ceasefire — Reuters (via The Star), Sunday, 11 Oct 2026
- Russia’s Putin agrees to 30-day halt in attacks on Ukraine energy targets — Al Jazeera, Updated: 19 Mar 2025 02:51 AM (GMT)
- Putin’s Pause on Ukraine Energy Attacks Has ‘Expired’ – Kremlin — Kyiv Post, April 18, 2025, 2:45 pm
- Statement by President of Russia Vladimir Putin — Office of the President of Russia (kremlin.ru), October 9, 2026 22:50
This article is news reporting and analysis based on the public sources listed above, as they stood on the dates shown. Where officials, lawmakers or analysts disagree, including on whether an action is lawful, their positions are attributed to them; Donald Trump Class Action is not a court and nothing here is legal advice. Facts in a developing story can change.