Russia attacks Ukraine's energy sites a day after Trump announced ceasefire

Russia launched fresh attacks on Ukraine, and Kyiv said strikes on energy sites breached the ceasefire announced by Donald Trump. The assault deepened doubts over Washington's truce push as Volodymyr Zelenskyy demanded that the US make Moscow honour the arrangement.

In Short

• Russia launched fresh attacks on Ukraine, hitting energy facilities and killing civilians
• Zelenskyy accused Russia of violating Trump's proposed energy ceasefire
• Trump pressured Ukraine to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries amid US fuel price rise

Russia launched fresh attacks on Ukraine overnight and into Monday, killing civilians and injuring dozens, including in strikes on energy facilities that Kyiv says violated an energy ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump. The attacks have raised fresh doubts about Washington's efforts to pause the fighting, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy demanding that the US ensure Moscow honours the proposed arrangement.

Zelenskyy accused Russia of violating the proposed energy ceasefire after strikes hit a power plant in Kharkiv, which is a gas production facility and a petrol station.

"There were Russian violations of the energy ceasefire announced by President Trump," Zelenskyy said. The Ukrainian President said the arrangement could become an important step towards ending the war, provided Washington ensured that Moscow respected it.

"This energy ceasefire, it can work, and it can become a major step toward ending the war if the Americans truly step in now and make sure Russians respect it," he said. "We are waiting for the details of the conditions between the Americans and Russians, and we are waiting to see one specific step the Americans are ready to take."

The Kremlin, meanwhile, said contacts over a possible energy ceasefire were continuing. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to provide details about its proposed scope, saying further information would be released in due course.

Trump's announcement followed a similar declaration in September, when he said Russia and Ukraine had agreed not to attack each other's energy infrastructure. That earlier announcement also failed to produce a clearly established, mutually confirmed arrangement.

CIVILIANS CAUGHT IN DEADLY ATTACKS

In Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, emergency workers searched through the wreckage of damaged buildings after overnight attacks. The destruction left civilians dead and homes damaged, while subsequent strikes added to the number of casualties. Nataliia Minka, a resident who had reached a shelter shortly before a nearby strike, described the terror of witnessing the attacks and their aftermath.

"Ten minutes had passed since they promised they wouldn't target energy facilities," she said, as quoted by Reuters.

"It's so hard to describe how a child was lying there, already covered up, and the father was running around her, crying and screaming," she added. "It's so terrifying -- it's impossible to get through something like this."

Three people were killed in a Russian drone attack on the village of Pisochyn in the Kharkiv district on Sunday evening, while nine others were injured, including children, according to Reuters. Further strikes on residential buildings in Kharkiv on Monday wounded at least 22 people, municipal officials said.

WHY TRUMP IS PRESSURING UKRAINE TO STOP OIL STRIKES

Trump's latest intervention comes as his administration faces pressure over rising fuel costs in the US ahead of next month's midterm elections. The US President has blamed Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries for pushing up fuel prices, particularly diesel. He has also unveiled a deal to purchase diesel from Russia, which has angered Kyiv and drawn criticism from European allies concerned that energy purchases could benefit Moscow while the war continues.

On Saturday, Trump issued a blunt warning to Zelenskyy over attacks on Russian refineries, saying the Ukrainian leader had "better damn well stop".

According to several reports, Washington has also threatened to cut off intelligence sharing with Ukraine and supplies of weapons that European countries purchase from the US for Kyiv.

Ukraine argues that its attacks on Russian energy infrastructure are a response to Moscow's sustained campaign against Ukrainian cities and essential services. Zelenskyy has said Kyiv would stop targeting Russian refineries if Russia halted its attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities. He also said Ukraine had not carried out attacks on Russian refineries overnight.

KREMLIN REJECTS ZELENSKYY'S 60-DAY CEASEFIRE PROPOSAL

The dispute over energy infrastructure has escalated into a direct confrontation between Trump and Zelenskyy. After blaming Ukraine's attacks on Russian oil refineries for rising US fuel prices, Trump said on Saturday that it was time for Ukraine to get a new president. Zelenskyy pushed back, saying Ukrainians alone had the right to choose their leader, and offered to hold elections if Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a 60-day ceasefire.

Voting has been suspended under the country's wartime legal framework, which prohibits national elections while martial law remains in force. The Ukrainian President has argued that a meaningful pause in the fighting would be needed to organise a vote safely. Russia, however, rejected his proposal on Monday, saying it wanted a comprehensive peace agreement rather than a temporary truce.

"In the Kremlin, both President (Vladimir) Putin and officials at other levels have repeatedly stated that we do not want a ceasefire," Peskov said. "We want long-term peace and are prepared to do everything possible to achieve it."

Russia's position remains that Zelenskyy's failure to hold elections undermines his legitimacy, an argument Kyiv rejects amid the extraordinary circumstances of the war. Peskov also said Russian President Vladimir Putin would be prepared to order a halt to attacks on Ukraine on the day of a presidential election. That offer falls far short of the 60-day pause sought by Zelenskyy.

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