Trump declared an "energy ceasefire" between Russia and Ukraine on Sunday, October 11, 2026, announcing on Truth Social that both sides had agreed to stop striking each other's energy infrastructure effective immediately — a claim that caught Kyiv off guard and drew no confirmation from Moscow.
"Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!" Trump wrote in the morning post, according to CNN. The White House offered no further details on how the agreement was reached or what its terms are, and CNN reported that both the White House and the Kremlin were being asked for clarification.
What an "Energy Ceasefire" Would Cover
An energy ceasefire means a pause in strikes on energy infrastructure on both sides: Ukraine's long-running drone and missile campaign against Russian oil refineries would stop, and Russia would halt its attacks on Ukraine's power plants, electricity grid and other energy facilities.
Kyiv has been hitting Russian refineries in retaliation for Moscow's strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, Fox News reported, while Russia continued bombing the energy grid in Kyiv on Sunday — with explosions audible throughout the day and power cuts continuing, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Kyiv Caught Off Guard — Moscow Silent
The announcement appeared to surprise Ukraine. A source close to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN the news was unexpected, and a Ukrainian official said of Trump's post: "We just read it as you did."
"Ukraine supports the ceasefire, and it is important that Russia support it as well. We are awaiting details from the American side."
— Volodymyr Zelensky
Zelensky told Axios that the announcement was news to him, but added: "If Russians agree to an energy ceasefire, Ukraine will agree. If President Trump negotiated it with Putin, please tell us when the ceasefire begins — we are ready, and we will accept it." The Kremlin offered no immediate response to the announcement, and Reuters reported there was no confirmation from either Kyiv or Moscow in the hours that followed.
French President Emmanuel Macron voiced support for an energy truce on X but noted: "At this stage, Russia continues to refuse it by intensifying its strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure in recent hours," the Wall Street Journal reported.
The Diesel Deal Behind the Announcement
The announcement came two days after Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, October 9. On that call, Trump said Russia had agreed to supply diesel to global markets — more than 300,000 tons immediately, 500,000 tons in November, and 1 million tons afterward — while the US Treasury authorized temporary sanctions relief to let the fuel flow, Fox News reported.
Trump has blamed Ukraine's strikes on Russian refineries for pushing up diesel prices, which AAA data put at $6.28 a gallon nationally, according to the New York Post — a political headache weeks before the November midterm elections. Zelensky blasted the diesel deal as a "betrayal," and Trump responded Saturday by saying Ukraine should "get a new leader who can make a deal," CNN reported.
The same Friday, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner sat down with Ukrainian and European delegations in Miami for six hours of talks aimed at a unified proposal to end the war, Reuters reported.
This is not the first such claim. Trump announced a similar energy ceasefire on September 14, but neither side confirmed it and the strikes continued — a cautionary note the Wall Street Journal repeated today.
What to Watch
For now, the "energy ceasefire" exists only in a Truth Social post. Whether it becomes real will be decided by what happens next: Moscow has not confirmed the deal, Kyiv says it is waiting for details, and both sides were still hitting each other's energy targets on Sunday. Zelensky, in an interview aired Sunday, offered a reciprocal deal — Ukraine stops hitting Russian refineries if Russia stops hitting Ukraine's grid — and said he would hold Ukrainian elections if Putin agreed to a 60-day total ceasefire, telling ABC News: "Give us two months, 60 days of total ceasefire, and we will organise elections." The Morning Post will keep tracking this story as it develops.
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Volatile Reaction (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0
Sources
- CNN: Trump claims Ukraine and Russia have agreed to energy ceasefire
- Associated Press (via Military.com): Trump says Russia and Ukraine reach 'energy ceasefire' but gives no details
- Wall Street Journal: Trump declares a Russia-Ukraine energy ceasefire, but Moscow hasn't confirmed
- Reuters: Trump says Russia and Ukraine reached 'energy ceasefire'