President Donald Trump insisted on Monday that the energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine is in effect because he said so.
In one of his Truth Social posts on Sunday, Trump said both warring nations agreed to the deal and warned them against breaking it. However, Russia did not agree to the ceasefire that protects Ukraine’s energy facilities from strikes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he “immediately supported” the energy ceasefire after earlier telling Axios it was “news to me.” Russian President Vladimir Putin did not comment on the development.
Hours after Trump’s announcement, Zelensky accused Russia of violating the supposed ceasefire by attacking a power plant in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and other energy facilities in the Kharkiv region.
Asked about the energy ceasefire, Trump doubled down on his claim that both sides agreed.
“Well, they agreed,” Trump told reporters outside the White House. “You know why? Because I said, ‘You agree.’ That’s why. They agreed because I said they agree, and that thing has to get settled. That war is a disaster.”
Trump then cited an unspecified death toll related to the conflict.
“Did you see the numbers that just came out this month?” he asked. “Thirty-two thousand, mostly soldiers, were killed. Young people, 32,000 killed. That war has to be over with.”
The president has blamed the Russia-Ukraine war for the rise in oil prices, stemming from Russian and Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries, instead of the Iran war. In the latter conflict, the Strait of Hormuz remains heavily disrupted by U.S. and Iranian military blockades in the maritime oil transit route.
RUSSIA STILL HITTING UKRAINIAN ENERGY SITES DESPITE TRUMP CLAIM OF CEASEFIRE, ZELENSKY SAYS
Trump similarly announced a Russia-Ukraine energy ceasefire last month, but that deal didn’t materialize. So far, his second attempt at securing an energy ceasefire also seems unsuccessful.
Zelensky said Russia has not approved of the agreement yet. Moscow has said little about the energy ceasefire, with a Kremlin spokesperson saying “contacts are ongoing.”
