Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of violating an energy ceasefire announced by President Donald Trump, saying Russian drones struck Ukrainian energy facilities hours after the agreement was revealed.
“Putin does not read Truth Social, and his ‘Shahed’ drones follow a different set of instructions,” Zelensky said Monday at the Warsaw Security Forum in Poland.
Trump announced the immediate ceasefire Sunday, saying Russia and Ukraine had agreed to stop attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure. The announcement came a day after Trump criticized Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil refineries and called for new leadership in Kyiv.
Zelensky said Russian forces struck a Ukrainian gas-production facility and a gas station overnight, while repair crews continued working to fix damage from previous attacks. Russian drones also continued flying over Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities Monday morning, he said.
“We agreed to an energy ceasefire,” Zelensky said. “We are ready to respect an energy ceasefire if Russia is ready to do the same.”
Zelensky said Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power generation and electrical grid have left Ukrainians facing daily power outages, with the threat of intensified strikes as winter approaches.
“For us, the key issue is electricity,” he said. “We have power cuts every single day.”
He also defended Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil refineries, arguing that Kyiv would halt its attacks if Moscow stopped targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
“If Russia wants us to stop our long-range strikes against its oil refineries and oil exports, then Russia must stop its strikes against our energy system and critical infrastructure,” Zelensky said. “This is only fair.”
The dispute comes as Trump and Zelensky have clashed in recent days. Trump called for Ukraine to choose a new leader Saturday, criticizing what he considered to be Zelensky’s unwillingness to reach a peace agreement.
Zelensky responded Sunday that Ukraine would hold elections if Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a two-month ceasefire.
Trump has previously announced an energy ceasefire that failed to materialize. In a Sept. 14 social media post, he said the two countries had agreed not to strike each other’s energy infrastructure, but he provided few details.
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The latest announcement also comes as the Trump administration seeks to ease rising U.S. fuel prices through a deal involving Russian diesel supplies. Trump has criticized Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries, saying they create “problems for the world.”
Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure during the war, threatening electricity and heating supplies as temperatures drop. Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials have accused Moscow of using winter conditions to weaken civilian morale and resistance to the invasion.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
