Trump Announces Russia-Ukraine Energy Ceasefire as Zelenskyy Offers Elections 

By The Media Line Staff 

President Donald Trump announced Sunday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to halt attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered to hold elections under a broader ceasefire, and a bipartisan group of US senators challenged Washington’s decision to purchase Russian diesel fuel. 

The US president declared the energy ceasefire effective immediately, but neither Moscow nor Kyiv initially confirmed a formal agreement. Zelenskyy said Ukraine would suspend strikes on Russian oil refineries if Russia stopped attacking Ukrainian energy facilities and provided credible assurances. 

“Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!” President Trump wrote on Truth Social. 

The announcement followed growing tensions between Washington and Kyiv over Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries, which President Trump has blamed for worsening fuel shortages and rising diesel prices. The American president has also faced criticism over his administration’s handling of the war with Iran, which has disrupted global energy supplies. 

In an interview broadcast Sunday on ABC’s This Week, Zelenskyy responded to President Trump’s suggestion that Ukraine needed new leadership by offering to organize presidential elections if Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a comprehensive 60-day ceasefire. 

“So please tell Putin, give us two months, 60 days off. Total ceasefire, 60 days, and we will organize elections,” Zelenskyy said. 

Ukraine has not held presidential elections since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 because martial law prohibits national voting. Zelenskyy said security guarantees would be necessary to allow Ukrainians to participate safely. 

Separately, six US senators, including four Republicans and two Democrats, urged the administration to reverse its agreement to obtain Russian diesel. The arrangement includes an initial shipment of approximately 300,000 metric tons, with substantially larger deliveries potentially following. 

The lawmakers warned that the deal undermined sanctions intended to restrict Russia’s ability to finance its war and questioned whether the administration had complied with laws governing Russian energy imports. 

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina raised concerns about the arrangement’s legality. 

“I do believe there’s a legitimate case for saying the president’s not following the law,” Tillis said Sunday. 

The administration has defended the fuel arrangement as a response to high energy prices ahead of November’s congressional elections. 

The proposed energy ceasefire would represent a limited step toward reducing hostilities in a war that has continued for more than four years. Its prospects remain uncertain without confirmed commitments from both combatants.