Russia strikes Ukrainian energy sites after Trump announces 'energy ceasefire'

KYIV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that Russia continued missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure hours after U.S. President Donald Trump claimed Moscow had agreed to an "energy ceasefire."

"We did not attack, while Russia attacked our gas stations, energy infrastructure, and other facilities," Zelenskyy said on the social media platform X.

"I think it was Putin's answer to President Trump. And the message from Russia was very clear, they don't know anything about the energy ceasefire."

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Trump's brief social media post on Sunday said the ceasefire took effect immediately, adding, "Do not break it!" He offered no details about the arrangement.

Zelenskyy said a jet-powered Iranian "shahed" drone fired from Russia struck a gas production facility around midnight, while other drones struck at least five other energy-related targets.

He said 33 people were reported wounded across the country from the attacks.

Later on Monday, Zelenskyy said Ukraine supported the concept of an energy ceasefire but called for more pressure on Russia "for de-escalation to actually succeed."

"Russia must take corresponding steps. As of now, there is no indication that Russia is complying with the conditions outlined by the American President," Zelenskyy wrote in a social media post.

Asked about the energy ceasefire, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov rejected the idea as another attempt by Zelenskyy to exploit a proposed pause to regroup and rearm.

"I do not think [Zelenskyy] deserves a respite," he said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov would not say whether Russia had agreed to such a ceasefire, saying only, "Contacts are ongoing."

Zelenskyy said Ukraine had been horribly surprised that following Trump's announcement, Russia struck numerous energy facilities including a power plant in Kharkiv.

He said it was clear that Russian President Vladimir Putin does not read Truth Social, referring to Trump's social media platform.

He said Kyiv was ready to comply with Trump's requests to stop striking Russian refineries if Moscow halted attacks on Ukraine's energy system.

"We are waiting for the details of the conversation between the Americans and the Russians, and we are waiting to see what specific steps the Americans are ready to take," he said.

Trump's efforts to broker a deal come amid rising fuel prices in the U.S. following his decision to go to war with Iran.

Last week, Trump announced a controversial plan to reduce diesel prices by reviving imports from Russia.

On Sunday, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators released a statement calling Trump's proposal unlawful.

"Congress explicitly banned Russian energy imports in 2022 to prevent American dollars from financing Putin's brutal war against Ukraine," the statement said.

Russia's official news agency TASS confirmed Monday that Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak has agreed to supply 300,000 tons of diesel to the U.S. in October.

While Ukrainian officials say they have so far respected Trump's call for an energy ceasefire, they did strike large data centres inside Russia operated by Yandex, a company often described as Russia's version of Google.

The strike led to service outages in parts of Russia.

Zelenskyy said Monday that the strikes on Yandex have also led to a drop in the number of Russian propaganda bots appearing on social media.

"A lot of people noticed it. There was less hate, less division, and fewer provocations," he said.

The European Union's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, welcomed the prospect of a pause in energy strikes but said she sees no sign Russia would respect it.

"We haven't yet seen that also Russia will stick to it," Kallas said.

Trump said Saturday it was time for Ukraine to get a new president, suggesting Zelenskyy has not done enough to end the war.

Zelenskyy said in response that Ukraine could hold elections if Russia agreed to a 60-day ceasefire.

"Give us two months, 60 days off. Total ceasefire, 60 days, and we will organize elections," he said.

In response, Peskov said Putin would be ready to halt strikes on Ukraine "specifically on election day," and accused Kyiv of wanting a ceasefire "to gather their strength, heal their wounds, and continue the war."

With files from NPR, The Globe and Mail and Taipei Times