Trump's 'energy ceasefire' would cover oil refineries, not power plants - Axios
President Donald Trump's declaration of an immediate energy ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia referred to a proposed halt in attacks on oil refineries, not power plants or electricity grids, Axios reported on October 11. Russia has not agreed to the proposal.
Trump announced on Truth Social on October 11 that an energy ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia had taken effect immediately, claiming both countries had agreed.
However, a White House official told Axios that the proposal involved both sides halting attacks on oil refineries. If successful, it could be followed by a separate agreement to stop strikes on power plants and electricity networks.
Russia has not accepted the refinery proposal, the official acknowledged, adding that Moscow was still considering it.
The proposed exchange would be highly unequal. A Ukrainian official told Axios that Ukraine has only one oil refinery, which has been repeatedly attacked by Russia and is not fully operational. Russia, meanwhile, operates an extensive network of refineries targeted by Ukrainian long-range strikes.
"We import diesel and gas. What we need is for the Russians to stop attacking our electricity grid," the Ukrainian official said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Trump's announcement "was news for me," while expressing readiness to halt Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure if Moscow reciprocated.
Russian forces continued attacking Ukrainian energy facilities after Trump's announcement, including a strike on a thermal power plant in Kharkiv, according to Ukrainian authorities.
The White House official said Trump was angry over Ukraine's continued strikes on Russian refineries, which he believes are contributing to higher gasoline prices in the United States.
"Trump is really mad. He feels Zelensky is taking the U.S. for granted," the official told Axios.
The dispute follows Trump's October 9 agreement with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to ease restrictions on Russian diesel exports.
The Financial Times also reported that Washington had threatened to suspend intelligence sharing and block the NATO-coordinated PURL mechanism for purchasing US weapons for Ukraine unless Kyiv stopped attacking Russian refineries.
- Share: