Trump insists energy ceasefire holds as Ukraine reports new Russian strikes

As he called on both sides to end the "ridiculous" war, united States President Donald Trump has insisted that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to stop striking each other's energy infrastructure.

Key points

• Ukraine's European allies, meanwhile, voiced scepticism regarding the energy ceasefire and approved the largest set of European Union sanctions since Russia's 2022 invasion.
• "Well, they agreed, " Trump remarked to journalists, referring to Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
• Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher, reporting from Washington, DC, remarked Trump has previously unveiled agreements between Russia and Ukraine that never materialised.
• "Russia will only negotiate seriously under pressure, which is why we are sticking to our sanctions against Russia, " German Chancellor Friedrich Merz remarked in Berlin.
• The bloc's foreign ministers continued some 1, 569 residents and businesses to the bloc's sanctions list to maintain the pressure on Moscow.

Trump's comments on Monday came even as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy remarked Russian forces had struck at least six Ukrainian energy facilities since the US president declared the truce on Sunday.

"Well, they agreed, " Trump remarked to journalists, referring to Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Since I stated, 'You agree'. Since I stated they agree.", that's why they agreed.

When pressed regarding the Russian strikes, Trump stated, "Well, I'd have to look at it and see, because there's been violations on both sides."

Notably, the US president called the war. It began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a "disaster" and asserted, without offering evidence, that at least 32, 000 residents had been killed this month alone.

"All I know is that Zelenskyy and Putin have to get together and end that ridiculous war, " he remarked.

Trump had blindsided Kyiv and its European allies when he confirmed the purported energy ceasefire on Sunday. The announcement came two days after he temporarily eased US sanctions on Russian diesel, a move that drew outrage in Europe and Ukraine.

Zelenskyy remarked it reversed years of Western efforts to isolate Russia's economy and would only embolden Putin.

Lawmakers from both major parties in the United States have additionally stated the diesel decision appears to violate US law. A number of Republicans have objected that it undercuts a law Trump himself signed to tighten restrictions on Moscow.

Zelenskyy remarked on Monday that Ukraine backed an energy ceasefire and had carried out no attacks on Russian refineries overnight. He remarked Kyiv was prepared to sign "guarantees to make sure they can be trusted".

But he remarked it was "increasingly evident" that Moscow would not comply.

"Today alone, the Russians have attacked 6 energy facilities in Ukraine. 33 individuals were wounded nationwide, " Zelenskyy wrote on social media. "This is what happens when Russia sees the prospect of higher revenues for its war machine."

Russia, nevertheless, has rejected any pause in fighting, with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov promising to press ahead with the military campaign.

"I do not think he deserves a respite, " he remarked of Zelenskyy. "I don't think we'll be buying into assurances and promises again." Russia, he continued, would continue to pursue the goals of what it calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine.

As the main obstacle to peace, trump, meanwhile, has portrayed Ukraine, rather than Russia. According to He has, putin is more eager on a agreement than Zelenskyy, and has called on Ukrainians to vote their president out of office – an unusually harsh turn in a relationship that has been strained since Trump returned to the White House in 2025.

"He notes he wants to protect industries in the US like farmers and ranchers, and to do that he needs the rate to go down. But it seems that he thinks there's a accord, but no one else is sure that there actually is one, " Fisher stated.

For context, the latest announcement, according to our correspondent, appeared to be driven by Trump's desire to bring down diesel rates before the US midterm elections on November 3.

Most polls predict that Republicans will lose control of Congress as voters grow frustrated with rising rates, particularly for petrol.

In practice, an opinion survey published on October 1 by the Associated Press news agency and the University of Chicago suggested that 65 percent of US adults blame the White House for the high cost of living, especially Trump's tariff policies and his new war against Iran.

Notably, the bloc's foreign ministers continued some 1, 569 residents and businesses to the bloc's sanctions list to maintain the pressure on Moscow.

For now, trump insists energy ceasefire holds as Ukraine reports new Russian strikes remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.