Zelenskyy says Russia continues energy strikes despite Trump’s ceasefire claim

• Zelenskyy says Russia continues striking Ukrainian energy facilities despite Trump’s claim of an immediate ceasefire.

• Kyiv offers to halt refinery attacks if Moscow stops targeting its energy system; EU officials question Russia’s willingness to comply.

• Russian strikes kill three and injure nine, including children, as both sides report intercepting or launching overnight drone attacks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday, 12 October that Russia continued striking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure despite US President Donald Trump’s claim a day earlier that the two countries had agreed to an immediate ceasefire on energy targets.

Speaking at the Warsaw Security Forum in Poland, Zelenskyy said Kyiv had learnt of the purported agreement through media reports and was willing to comply if Moscow did the same. “We support it, but I have not heard approval of this proposal from the Russian side,” he said.

Trump’s social media post on Sunday offered few details about the agreement but said the ceasefire had taken immediate effect, adding: 'Do not break it!'

Zelenskyy said Ukraine was “horribly surprised” when Russia subsequently struck several energy facilities, including a power plant in Kharkiv, a gas production facility and a civilian gas station. “It was clear that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin does not read Truth Social,” he said, referring to Trump’s social media platform.

Trump had announced a similar understanding on 14 September, claiming both countries had agreed 'not to hit' each other’s energy infrastructure. That proposal also failed to produce a sustained halt to the attacks.

Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukrainian energy facilities, disrupting electricity, heating and water supplies to civilians. Kyiv describes the strategy as “weaponising winter” and fears Moscow could intensify the attacks as temperatures fall.

Ukraine, meanwhile, has struck Russian energy infrastructure, including oil refineries deep inside Russian territory. Trump has blamed Zelenskyy for high global diesel prices. On Friday, Trump struck a deal with Putin to import Russian diesel in an attempt to ease fuel prices weeks before the US midterm elections.

Zelenskyy said Kyiv was prepared to stop attacking Russian refineries if Moscow halted strikes on Ukraine’s energy system, urging Trump to press the Kremlin to agree. He warned that Ukraine would retaliate if Russia refused an energy ceasefire during winter.

“We are waiting for the details of the conversation between the Americans and the Russians, and we are waiting to see what specific steps the Americans are ready to take,” he said. “This energy ceasefire can work, and it can become a major step toward ending the war.”

EU sceptical as dispute over Russian diesel deal grows

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Monday welcomed the prospect of a pause in attacks on energy infrastructure but expressed doubt that Russia would honour such an arrangement.

“We haven't yet seen that also Russia will stick to it,” Kallas said at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg. “Personally, I would also welcome that the ceasefire would include people not being killed, not only energy.”

Trump’s agreement to purchase diesel from Russia has drawn criticism from officials in the US, Ukraine and Europe. A bipartisan group of six US senators, including four Republicans, urged the administration on Sunday to reverse the decision, arguing that Washington should “not provide Putin with a financial lifeline” while Russian forces continued killing Ukrainian civilians.

Kallas also rejected Trump’s suggestion on Saturday that Ukraine should elect a new president, arguing that elections should not be held during wartime without a ceasefire.

Zelenskyy said elections were impossible amid Russia’s ongoing attacks, including strikes carried out both day and night. However, he said he was prepared to work towards holding elections if Ukraine secured a full ceasefire lasting at least 60 days.

Russian strikes kill 3, injure children; both sides report drone attacks

Two people were injured in Russian daytime strikes on Kyiv on Monday, according to the city’s military administration. Falling debris sparked a fire at a private residence in the Darnytskyi district, while debris also fell near homes in the Solomianskyi district and on a warehouse in Darnytskyi.

A Russian drone attack on the village of Pisochyn in the Kharkiv region on Sunday evening killed three people and injured nine others, including children, the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office said. The strike hit a densely populated area near apartment buildings and grocery stores, triggering a fire.

Ukraine’s Air Force said its air defences intercepted or suppressed 89 of 121 Russian drones overnight into Monday. The attack also involved a Kh-59 guided air-to-surface missile and included 76 jet-powered Shahed-type drones. Strikes were recorded at 15 locations, while debris from downed drones fell at four others.

Russia’s defence ministry, meanwhile, said its air defences intercepted 151 Ukrainian drones overnight over Russian regions, Crimea, which Moscow illegally annexed, and the Black Sea.

In a separate statement, the ministry said Russian forces had carried out overnight drone strikes on Ukrainian port infrastructure and a bulk carrier heading towards Odesa with military cargo on board. It did not identify the specific port facilities targeted.