President Zelenskyy condemned Moscow’s actions as indicative of its refusal to honor the truce suggested by the US
Photo : AP
Ukraine has accused Russia of violating a proposed energy ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump after Russian airstrikes hit at least six energy-related targets across the country. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attacks showed Moscow had no intention of observing the truce, which Trump announced over the weekend without confirmation from either side.
“It is increasingly evident that Russia is unwilling to accept an energy ceasefire proposed by the United States and intends to continue its terrorist air attacks against our people and communities,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X. “This is what happens when Russia sees the prospect of higher revenues for its war machine,” he added.
In remarks delivered by video link to a conference in Poland, Zelenskyy identified a gas facility and a petrol station among the targets hit by Russian drones.
The latest attacks came as Ukraine’s European allies expressed scepticism about the proposed ceasefire and reaffirmed their support for Kyiv. On Monday, the European Union also approved a new package of sanctions against Russia, adding 1,569 individuals and businesses to its list of restricted entities and people.
Russia Rejects Proposal for a Broader Ceasefire
Trump announced the purported energy truce days after unveiling a deal to buy diesel from Russia, a move criticised by Zelenskyy as a reversal of years of Western efforts to isolate the Russian economy.
The US president has blamed Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries for rising fuel prices, particularly diesel, which has reached record levels in the United States since Trump launched his military campaign against Iran.
On Saturday, Trump warned Zelenskyy that he had “better damn well stop” attacking Russian refineries.
Trump’s latest ceasefire announcement was the second time in a matter of weeks that he had declared an energy truce without confirmation from the two countries involved in the war.
The Kremlin said discussions about a possible energy ceasefire were continuing, but spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected Zelenskyy’s proposal for a 60-day full ceasefire.
“In the Kremlin, both President (Vladimir) Putin and officials at other levels have repeatedly stated that we do not want a ceasefire,” Peskov said. “We want long-term peace and are prepared to do everything possible to achieve it,” he added.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine had not attacked Russian oil refineries overnight and remained willing to agree to an energy ceasefire, provided Russia also observed it.
He also said elections, suspended in Ukraine during wartime, could be held if Moscow agreed to a full ceasefire lasting 60 days.
Deadly Strikes Hit Kharkiv
In Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, rescue workers searched the wreckage of damaged buildings after overnight attacks killed at least three people, according to local officials.
Further strikes hit residential buildings on Monday morning, wounding at least 22 people. At least three other people were reported killed on Sunday in the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk.
Nataliia Minka, a resident of Kharkiv, said she had just reached a shelter when a missile struck nearby. She and her child had seen what they believed was a missile hitting a nearby power station. “Ten minutes had passed since they promised they wouldn’t target energy facilities,” she told Reuters.
Describing the aftermath of the attack, she added: “It’s so hard to describe how a child was lying there, already covered up, and the father was running around her, crying and screaming.”
“It’s so terrifying — it’s impossible to get through something like this,” she said.
Russia began its latest campaign against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure about two weeks ago. The attacks have caused daily power cuts lasting several hours in Kyiv, disrupted water and sewage systems and twice forced the capital’s underground trains to stop abruptly.
Europe Tightens Pressure on Moscow
European leaders said the latest attacks reinforced the need to maintain pressure on Russia. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Moscow would negotiate seriously only under pressure and that European sanctions would remain in place.
“Following Moscow’s ruthless attacks on Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure, we must actually tighten them further,” he said.
