Donald Trump maintained that an energy ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia was still in force, saying that both sides had “agreed” because he had said, “You agree,” during a meeting outside the White House. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky countered that Moscow had struck six energy facilities within hours of Trump’s announcement, calling the attacks a surprise and accusing Russia of violating the ceasefire.
The ceasefire followed a controversial deal that would allow Russia to export more than 2.25 million barrels of diesel to the United States and other markets. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Moscow could raise diesel exports to pre‑war levels—up to 3.5 million tonnes per month—by year‑end, while U.S. lawmakers from both parties urged Trump to reverse the agreement, arguing it would give Russia revenue to fund its war without securing concessions from Vladimir Putin.
Russian forces have continued to target Ukrainian energy infrastructure, with drone strikes damaging a cargo terminal in Mykolaiv and a Kyiv apartment building that killed two people and injured several others. In addition, a fire at a Starlink station in central Poland, blamed on sabotage, led to the detention of two Turkish citizens in Germany, with Polish officials accusing Russia of orchestrating the incident.
Zelensky, speaking at the Warsaw Security Forum and on Fox News, said Ukraine would refrain from striking Russian energy sites and was ready to honour the ceasefire, but he doubted Putin was prepared to do the same. He reiterated that the ceasefire means mutual restraint from attacking each other’s energy infrastructure.
