Trump had announced on October 11 that a ceasefire would halt attacks on energy facilities in the Russia-Ukraine war. However, two days later, Ukraine said Russia had attacked six of its energy facilities, injuring 33 people. Eight Ukrainian civilians were also killed in separate attacks. Trump claimed that 32,000 people had been killed in the war this month, although the figure has not been independently verified.
Trump maintained that both countries had agreed to an energy ceasefire. When journalists asked him on Monday about reports that Russia and Ukraine had denied reaching an agreement, he responded by reiterating his position that Putin wanted a peace deal more than Zelensky.
Ukraine, meanwhile, warned that it would retaliate if Russia continued targeting its energy infrastructure, while Moscow said it wanted a lasting peace rather than a temporary halt to the fighting.
Ukraine Says It Will Retaliate
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said there were no signs that Russia was preparing to stop attacks on energy facilities. According to Zelensky, Russian forces attacked six Ukrainian energy facilities on Monday, leaving 33 people injured across the country.
In a social media post, Zelensky said Ukraine was ready to stop attacks on energy infrastructure under the US proposal, but stressed that Russia would also have to agree to the same arrangement.
Earlier, speaking at the Warsaw Security Conference, Zelensky had warned that Ukraine would retaliate if Russia did not stop attacking energy facilities.
According to Ukraine, a power plant in eastern Ukraine was struck just hours after the US proposal was announced, raising further questions about whether an energy ceasefire could be implemented.
Russia Says It Wants Lasting Peace
Russia has also not confirmed that an energy ceasefire has come into effect. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow wanted a peace agreement that would endure over the long term rather than a temporary suspension of hostilities.
According to Peskov, Putin would order Russian troops to stop firing on the day of elections in Ukraine. However, he did not specify the conditions under which Russia might agree to a permanent peace settlement.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also opposed granting Zelensky temporary relief. Lavrov said the Ukrainian president did not deserve such relief, signalling Moscow's resistance to a temporary arrangement that could ease pressure on Ukraine without resolving the broader conflict.
Russian Attacks Reported Across Ukraine
Russian forces attacked a 25-storey residential building in a neighbourhood of Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, on Monday. According to Zelensky, two people were killed and nine others injured in the strike.
A body was also found inside a car parked near the building.
In Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, Russian shelling caused the entrance of an apartment building to collapse, injuring five people. There were fears that some people remained trapped under the rubble.
Separately, a drone attack killed one person in the city of Lozova in the Kharkiv region.
In the eastern Donetsk region, shelling killed three people in a village near Kramatorsk. One person was also killed in the town of Fastiv near Kyiv, while another person died in the southeastern city of Dnipro.
The reported casualties came as diplomatic efforts to halt attacks on energy infrastructure continued, with both sides maintaining sharply different positions on the proposed ceasefire.
Why Energy Facilities Matter to Russia and Ukraine
Russia has long targeted Ukrainian power plants and electricity supply facilities, disrupting power availability across the country. Such attacks can have a particularly severe impact during winter, when electricity shortages affect households' ability to heat their homes and carry out everyday activities.
Ukraine, in turn, has repeatedly used drones and missiles to attack Russian oil refineries and fuel production facilities. These strikes disrupt the processing of crude oil into petrol and diesel, damaging Russia's oil business.
According to a report citing International Energy Agency (IEA) figures, Ukrainian attacks reduced Russia's diesel production by around 30% in 2026. Russia's oil refining activity also fell to its lowest level in 20 years.
The attacks on energy infrastructure have therefore become a significant part of the conflict, affecting electricity supplies in Ukraine and fuel production in Russia.
The United States has been facilitating negotiations between Russia and Ukraine for the past year in an effort to end the war. Previous attempts to stop attacks on energy facilities have also been made, but the two countries either failed to reach an agreement or were unable to sustain arrangements for long.
With Trump claiming that both sides are ready for an energy ceasefire, while Moscow and Kyiv have yet to confirm its implementation, the continued attacks highlight the challenges facing efforts to secure even a limited halt to hostilities.
About The Author
Comment List