President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to halt attacks tied to energy, framing it as an immediate pause in a key slice of the war. This comes after his administration moved to loosen restrictions on Russian diesel exports.
Trump’s Energy Ceasefire Announcement
In a post on social media platform Truth Social, Trump said that an energy ceasefire was in effect and urged both sides not to violate it.
“Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!” he said in the post.
Trump’s latest statement followed a public push from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who told ABC’s “This Week” that Kyiv was open to stopping energy-related strikes if Russia did the same. Zelenskyy described the idea as “fair,” while stressing it was not the ideal outcome compared with ending the war outright.
Ukraine Awaits Ceasefire Details
After Trump’s Sunday post, Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram that Ukraine was awaiting details of the ceasefire, according to a Reuters report.
“Ukraine supports the ceasefire, and it is important that Russia support it as well. We are awaiting details from the American side,” he said.
Zelenskyy added that Ukraine fully supports steps toward de-escalation with Russia as well as decisions needed to end the war and guarantee lasting peace between the two countries.
In a separate set of remarks at the White House on Saturday, Trump said Ukraine should choose new leadership and argued a different leader could cut deals. He also criticized Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries, saying those strikes were adding to price pressure.
“I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal because he could have made many deals, but for some reason, he never does,” Trump said to reporters at the White House, according to a Reuters report. “I think it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president.”
Trump Administration’s Shifting Sanctions Posture
Trump has argued the Russia-Ukraine conflict has been a driver of higher diesel costs, and he has urged both sides to stop actions that could further disrupt supply.
Ukrainian strikes on refineries have been part of Kyiv’s response to Russian attacks on its infrastructure, and Trump has called for those refinery hits to end.
The U.S. government’s sanctions posture has also been shifting around diesel flows. Treasury’s latest authorization temporarily allows certain transactions involving Russian-origin diesel through April 7, 2027, even as the U.S. has kept broader penalties on Russia’s energy sector since the invasion, including major measures in October 2025 aimed at constraining war financing.
On the Russian side, Moscow said Saturday it partially lifted its own diesel export restrictions, with the change taking effect immediately.
In Washington, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) attacked the diesel arrangement, calling it a “deal with the devil.” Trump also faces an Oct. 18 deadline tied to the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act, which would require a decision on whether to impose additional penalties on Russia’s energy industry or waive them on national security grounds.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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