(AFP) – US President Donald Trump said Sunday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to halt strikes on each other’s energy infrastructure, surprising Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky while Russia did not immediately confirm the deal. The announcement comes two days after Trump announced a temporary easing of US sanctions on Russian diesel, prompting outrage by Ukraine and its European allies, who argued it only emboldened Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
Trump, whose war against Iran has led to global oil shortages, has blamed Ukraine’s strikes on Russian refineries for sending diesel prices soaring, creating major risks for his party in US elections next month. “Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social network, without further details.
Zelensky appeared blindsided by Trump’s announcement, telling the Axios news outlet that it was “news for me.” He subsequently said that he and Kyiv’s allies were “awaiting details” of the ceasefire, noting he supports any steps toward de-escalation in the conflict. “Ukraine supports the ceasefire, and it is important that Russia support it as well,” Zelensky said on his Facebook page, after speaking with the leaders of Canada, Finland and NATO.
Russia has launched waves of attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure since invading in February 2022, knocking out power and heating to millions during freezing temperatures, while Ukraine has systematically struck Russian oil refineries that it says fund the war. Ukraine’s largest private energy provider, DTEK, announced fresh power outages in the capital Kyiv on Sunday amid the attacks.
Trump’s announcement on Sunday came amid mounting tensions between Trump and Zelensky over the US-Russia diesel deal. Zelensky said the deal was a “weak decision,” while several of Ukraine’s European allies pledged to increase pressure on Moscow, despite the agreement. Asked about the criticism on Saturday, Trump lashed out at Zelensky, saying it was “time for Ukraine to get a new president” who would finally settle the war.
Zelensky pushed back on the suggestion in an interview on Sunday. “First of all, with all respect to President Trump, it’s up to our society, up to our people to choose one or another leader,” Zelensky told ABC News. He said that fuel prices were rising because of the war in the Middle East and the blocking of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. “Everybody understands it,” he said.
Germany’s foreign minister said Sunday that Berlin continued to “fully support” Zelensky. “Europe needs stability and that means that we are very clearly continuing to stay by the side of Ukraine and its government,” Johann Wadephul said in Berlin. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen also backed the Ukrainian leader “as he leads the fight for his people’s freedom.” “Fully supported the call of President Zelenskyy for a ceasefire that would protect global food supplies and energy infrastructure in Ukraine and Russia,” von der Leyen wrote online Sunday after talking to Zelensky.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said Paris supports a “real energy ceasefire” between Russia and Ukraine. “Currently, Russia continues to refuse that, by lately intensifying further its strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure,” Macron said Sunday, adding, “France will continue to stay by the side of Ukraine and President Zelensky.”
And in Kyiv, several residents expressed concern about Trump’s call for Zelensky to be replaced. “I believe our president is the best, and Americans should think about their own president,” said 40-year-old local Olesia Goncharuk. “We Ukrainians decide our own fate and our own freedom, and we are free people,” she told AFP. The row between Zelensky and Trump comes weeks before closely-fought US elections dominated by voter frustration over the cost of living.
– Daniel STUBLEN with Caleb DAVIS in Warsaw
© 2024 AFP
