President Donald Trump announced Sunday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an immediate “energy ceasefire, ” but the terms remained unsettled and Moscow had not publicly accepted the arrangement. A White House official described the proposal as “refinery for refinery, ” covering reciprocal attacks on oil refineries first, with a possible later expansion to power plants and electricity grids.
Ukraine has one oil refinery, which has been repeatedly attacked and is not fully operational, while Russia has a large refinery network that has increasingly been targeted by Ukrainian drones. Kyiv has argued that the central issue is the protection of its electricity and heating infrastructure, not only a pause in strikes on petroleum facilities.
The announcement also produced an immediate dispute over whether an agreement existed. Trump said both sides had agreed and urged them not to violate it, while the White House official said Russia was still considering the proposal. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the announcement was unexpected but that Kyiv was prepared to stop attacking Russian energy sites if Moscow did the same.
Zelenskyy then reported that Russian strikes continued after Trump’s statement, including attacks on energy infrastructure in Kyiv and a power plant in Kharkiv. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said only that contacts were continuing.
The disagreement follows months of attacks on energy assets. Russia’s strikes have damaged Ukrainian systems supplying electricity, heat and water, while Ukraine has used long-range drones against Russian refineries and other energy targets. Trump has pressed Zelenskyy to halt those refinery attacks and has linked them to pressure in fuel markets, a claim Zelenskyy rejected, pointing instead to disruption around the Strait of Hormuz.
The immediate question is whether negotiators can define protected facilities and establish a reciprocal mechanism that includes Ukraine’s power plants and gas infrastructure. Until Russia formally accepts terms and attacks stop, Trump’s announcement represents a disputed proposal rather than a clearly implemented ceasefire.