“Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!” President Trump posted Sunday morning. Ukraine’s president said he learned about it on social media. That evening, Russia hit a power plant in Kharkiv.
The Kremlin, asked Monday whether it had agreed to anything, said only that “contacts are ongoing,” CNN reported.
Is there really an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine?
Not one anyone outside the White House can describe. A senior Ukrainian official told the Kyiv Independent that Ukraine had no information about it. Zelenskyy said that if Trump negotiated it with Putin, “please tell us when the ceasefire begins. We are ready, and we will accept it.” Ukraine said it would honor a halt on energy strikes if Russia did.
Around 8 p.m. local time Sunday, Russia struck Kharkiv’s CHP-5 thermal power plant at least twice, causing a fire, Zelenskyy said. A Russian missile then hit a grocery store in the Kharkiv suburbs, killing three people and injuring at least 22, including two children, the Kyiv Independent reported. Overnight, Zelenskyy said, a Russian drone hit a Ukrainian gas production facility, while Ukraine held off on striking Russian refineries.
How bad have strikes on Ukraine’s power grid been?
Zelenskyy said Russia carried out more than 200 strikes on Ukraine’s electricity plants and power lines in the past week, plus 17 on gas and oil sites, and that Russian attacks killed more than 150 people and wounded more than 700. Winter is weeks away, and knocking out heat and power has been a core Russian tactic every fall of the war.
Why are Republicans pushing back on Trump’s Russia diesel deal?
The ceasefire announcement came two days after Trump lifted sanctions on Russian diesel. Over the weekend, seven senators, including four Republicans, asked him to “reverse course.” “Congress explicitly banned Russian energy imports in 2022 to prevent American dollars from financing Putin’s brutal war against Ukraine,” they wrote. “President Trump’s decision to allow Russian diesel imports to the U.S. runs directly counter to that law.” Zelenskyy on Monday also ruled out holding elections during the war, after Trump said Ukraine needs a new president: “From a security standpoint, that’s completely impossible. We have attacks day and night.”
The BeezLoop Take
A ceasefire that one side hears about on social media and the other side won’t confirm isn’t a ceasefire. It’s a press release. If Trump has a real deal with Putin to stop hitting power plants before winter, that would save lives, and he should say what’s in it. If he doesn’t, announcing one hands Russia a free talking point and leaves Ukrainians in the dark, literally.
Four Republican senators breaking with the president on Russia is worth noticing. Their point is simple: the law Congress passed says no Russian energy until the war ends. A president who wants credit for peace shouldn’t be quietly paying the aggressor.
The open question: will the White House ever release the terms of the energy ceasefire, if there are any?
Also on BeezLoop: Trump said Ukraine needs a new president, experts say the diesel deal mostly helps Russia, and what’s proven about Trump and Russia.
Sources: CNN · Kyiv Independent · ABC News · ABC News (video)
