Zelensky says Ukraine will respond this winter if Russia rejects Trump's energy ceasefire
Speaking by video link at the Warsaw Security Forum on 12 October, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine supports the energy ceasefire proposed by US President Donald Trump but warned that Kyiv will respond this winter if Moscow refuses. Zelensky said Trump's 11 October announcement of an "energy ceasefire" came as news to Ukraine and that Russia continued striking Ukrainian power and gas infrastructure after the post.
Key points
- On 12 October, Zelensky addressed the Warsaw Security Forum via video link and said Ukraine will respond this winter if Russia does not agree to an energy ceasefire.
- On 11 October at 17:16 Kyiv time, Trump announced on Truth Social that an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine was starting "from this moment," claiming both sides had agreed.
- The White House said Trump's "energy ceasefire" refers specifically to stopping strikes on each other's oil refineries; Zelensky said the focus for Ukraine is Russian strikes on power stations and the electricity grid.
- Zelensky said Russia struck a Kharkiv power station shortly after Trump's post and that a significant part of Kyiv was without water and electricity at the time.
- Zelensky said Ukraine has only one oil refinery, already heavily damaged by Russian strikes, no large oil reserves or export capacity, and imports large volumes of diesel and other oil products.
- Zelensky offered to sign US-backed guarantees of non-striking and said Ukraine is waiting for details and concrete steps from the American side.
- EU High Representative Kaja Kallas said on 12 October that the EU welcomes the ceasefire in principle but that there is no indication Moscow is ready for it.
Why it matters
The exchange tests whether Trump's proposed energy ceasefire is a real mutual arrangement or a unilateral US declaration, with Zelensky publicly stating that Ukraine had no prior knowledge of an agreement. Zelensky conditioned any Ukrainian restraint on Russia halting strikes on Ukrainian power stations and the grid, and he cited continued Russian strikes on a Kharkiv power station, Kyiv's water and electricity supply, and Ukrainian gas facilities as evidence that Russia is not observing the announced deal. Zelensky's offer to sign US-backed guarantees of non-strike leaves the diplomatic ball in the American and Russian courts, while Kaja Kallas's same-day EU statement welcomed the ceasefire in principle but said there is no sign Moscow is ready for it, highlighting allied skepticism about Russian buy-in.
What happened
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the Warsaw Security Forum on Monday, 12 October, by video link, one day after US President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that an "energy ceasefire" between Russia and Ukraine was starting "from this moment" and that both sides had agreed. Zelensky said the announcement was news to him and that Ukraine had supported the idea of an energy ceasefire since Trump first raised it. He said the key issue for Ukraine is halting Russian strikes on power stations and the electricity grid, not oil refineries, and that the American team is well informed of this. Zelensky reported that shortly after Trump's post Russia struck a power station in Kharkiv and that a significant part of Kyiv was left without water and electricity. He added that on the night before his speech, Ukrainian forces did not attack Russian oil facilities, while Russian jet drones struck a Ukrainian gas-production facility and a gas station, and that more Russian drones attacked Ukraine during the day of 12 October, including the capital, with many shot down. Zelensky stressed that Ukraine has only one oil refinery, already heavily damaged by Russian strikes, no large oil reserves or export capacity, and imports large volumes of diesel and other oil products. He framed any halt to Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russian oil infrastructure as conditional on Russia stopping strikes on Ukraine's energy system and critical infrastructure. He offered to sign US-backed guarantees of non-striking and said Ukraine is waiting for details and concrete steps from the American side. He warned that if Russia does not agree to an energy ceasefire this winter, Ukraine will respond.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
The supplied coverage is uniformly from Ukrainian outlets and centers Zelensky's account. Ukrainian sources emphasize that Ukraine supported the idea of an energy ceasefire, that Zelensky was not informed of an agreement before Trump's post, and that Russia continued to strike Ukrainian power stations, gas facilities, and Kyiv's water and electricity supply after the announcement, framing Russia as the side violating the arrangement. The coverage highlights the asymmetry between Ukraine's single damaged refinery and reliance on imported fuel versus Russia's many refineries, portraying Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil as retaliation rather than aggression. Ukrainian sources foreground Zelensky's offer to sign US-requested guarantees and his call for concrete American steps, presenting Ukraine as the cooperative party awaiting detail from Washington and Moscow.
How international sources describe it
International reporting carried by the supplied sources, principally the Financial Times and Axios, noted that Trump rushed his announcement and that, according to FT sources, there is no final agreement, with Putin unwilling to conclude one before winter in the belief that attacks on Ukrainian energy can increase pressure on Kyiv. The Financial Times, citing a source close to Zelensky, reported that Ukraine had no knowledge of an energy ceasefire before Trump's statement. Axios reported that Trump allowed Russian diesel fuel exports after Kyiv ignored roughly six requests to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries, and that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner threatened in Miami to halt US intelligence sharing and to stop purchases of weapons for Ukraine through the PURL mechanism unless Ukraine stopped those strikes. On 12 October, EU High Representative Kaja Kallas said the EU welcomes the ceasefire in principle but sees no indication that Moscow is ready for it. China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said dialogue and negotiations are the only real path to resolving the crisis and that China supports efforts conducive to peace.
Where reporting differs
The supplied sources disagree on three main points. First, whether an energy ceasefire was mutually agreed before Trump's post. Zelensky and a source close to him told the Financial Times that Ukraine had no prior knowledge of the agreement and that the announcement was news, while Trump claimed on Truth Social that both sides had agreed. Second, the scope of the ceasefire. The White House and Axios said it covers only oil refineries, while Zelensky said the focus for Ukraine is Russian strikes on power stations and the electricity grid, not refineries. Third, whether Russia is observing the ceasefire. Zelensky cited strikes on a Kharkiv power station, on Kyiv's water and electricity supply, and on Ukrainian gas facilities and filling stations after Trump's post as Russian violations, while Trump's framing implied both sides had already agreed to stop.
Background
On 11 October at 17:16 Kyiv time, Trump announced on Truth Social that an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine was starting "from this moment," claiming both sides had agreed. The White House clarified that in Trump's understanding an energy ceasefire means both sides stop striking each other's oil refineries, a narrower scope than Zelensky's electricity-grid focus. On 14 September Trump had previously said Ukraine and Russia agreed not to strike each other's energy facilities. Zelensky has said Ukraine has only one oil refinery, already heavily damaged by Russian strikes, no large oil reserves or export capacity, and imports large volumes of diesel and other oil products, and he thanked Poland and Norway for energy-related supplies. He said Russia began strikes on Ukrainian generation and power grids several years ago and has intensified them each winter, including the current one, and that daily power outages now occur in Ukraine. He compared the pain inflicted on Russia by Ukrainian strikes on its refineries to potential losses from a Hormuz disruption.