← Back to issue
TIMEUpdate

Trump says Russia and Ukraine agreed to an immediate energy ceasefire; Moscow has not confirmed it

Political Guyentist · October 12, 20263 min read

TIME

A White House official told Axios the proposal covers only oil refineries on both sides, not power plants or the electric grid.

Trump said Sunday, Oct. 11, that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an energy ceasefire starting immediately. He published no terms, and Moscow has not publicly confirmed it.

Kyiv's answer. Volodymyr Zelensky (President, Ukraine) said the deal was news to him, and that Ukraine would join if Russia did: “If President Trump negotiated it with Putin, please tell us when the ceasefire begins. We are ready, and we will accept it.” Christopher Miller of the Financial Times reported that Zelensky's office had no information about the deal.

The strikes. After the announcement, Ukrainian officials reported Russian attacks on power facilities in Kyiv and Kharkiv.

Still open. Whether Russia accepts at all, and when any halt would start. The same White House official said Russia was still considering the proposal.

Days before Sunday, Oct. 11, Trump said Ukraine needs “a new president” and told Zelensky to stop striking Russian oil refineries. A U.S. official told Axios that Trump struck a Russian diesel deal after Zelensky ignored half a dozen U.S. requests to halt those strikes.

What we’re less sure of3 of 8 claims

Red take

Washington should bank the refinery truce now, because a deal with one plain target is the only kind this war has any record of keeping. The broader March 2025 truce, covering refineries and electricity together, never even settled whether it began March 18 or March 25. Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's president, says "We are ready, and we will accept it"; hold that yes hostage to the grid, and no energy site on either front gets a single night's reprieve.

Blue take

After Trump announced this truce, Ukrainian officials reported Russian strikes on power facilities in Kyiv and Kharkiv, and a refinery-only deal would not stop the next ones. A White House official told Axios the grid might be covered later, with no deadline. Washington should insist it go in writing now, as the Kremlin's own March 2025 list put it; otherwise Ukraine stands down on Russian refineries while its power stations stay open targets.