Kyiv and Moscow have taken differing positions on US President Donald Trump’s proposal to halt mutual attacks on energy facilities. Ukraine said it was prepared to abide by a truce on the condition of reciprocity, while Russia did not confirm its acceptance of an agreement with defined terms and the Kremlin merely indicated that contacts were continuing.
Trump’s announcement opens dispute over scope of truce
Trump announced on 11 October that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an “energy truce” taking effect immediately, without providing details about its scope or monitoring mechanism. Moscow, however, did not confirm that a final agreement existed, while Kyiv said Russian attacks on its facilities continued after the US announcement.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country had refrained from attacking Russian oil refineries and energy facilities during the two days following Trump’s announcement, stressing that Kyiv was ready to halt the strikes if Moscow followed the same course.
Zelenskyy questioned Russian President Vladimir Putin’s readiness to abide by the truce, saying that, in his view, developments on the ground showed that the Russian side did not consider itself bound by what the US president had announced. He also called on the United States and European countries to increase pressure on Moscow to achieve an effective halt to attacks on the energy sector.
Damage to energy facilities in Kharkiv region
The Ukrainian president accused Russia of targeting several energy and gas facilities, including a heating and power plant in Kharkiv, in the north-east of the country, and a gas production facility in Kharkiv region. He said the strikes caused further damage to the energy network and also spoke of other facilities being targeted after the US announcement.
Ukraine’s Naftogaz company said a jet-powered drone targeted one of its gas production facilities in Kharkiv region on the night of 12 October, starting a fire and damaging some equipment. The company’s acting board chairman, Serhii Fedorenko, said employees were inside shelters at the time of the attack and that no injuries were recorded among them, while emergency teams began dealing with the damage.
Zelenskyy also said Kharkiv’s fifth heating and power plant had been hit after Trump announced the truce. The Ukrainian presidential office confirmed that the attack took place after the US announcement was published, while Kyiv said it was prepared to refrain from targeting Russian energy infrastructure if Moscow showed a similar readiness.
Kremlin keeps position on truce open
Moscow, meanwhile, has not formally announced its acceptance of an energy truce in final form. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on 13 October that contacts concerning a possible halt to attacks on energy facilities were still continuing, and that there were no new developments to announce regarding the proposed understanding.
Peskov did not identify the parties with which Russia was holding contacts over the truce, nor did he confirm whether Moscow had agreed to Trump’s announcement. The Russian presidency had previously stressed that it was seeking a permanent settlement to the war rather than a temporary ceasefire.
The Russian Defence Ministry said its forces had targeted military-industrial facilities, logistics centres, railway and port infrastructure, as well as vessels it said had taken part in transporting military supplies to Ukraine. In a separate account of the attacks on 13 October, the ministry said the overnight strikes had not targeted facilities linked to Ukraine’s energy sector.
Diesel export dispute coincides with truce talks
The dispute over the truce coincided with an agreement Trump said he had reached with Putin to increase Russian diesel exports to global markets. The US president defended the agreement, saying its aim was to increase global supplies, while the decision drew criticism in Kyiv and among US lawmakers.
Asked whether allowing Russian diesel exports would make Moscow more flexible in negotiations to end the war, Peskov said he saw no direct connection between the two issues. He added that Russia’s position on peace talks was not directly linked to arrangements concerning fuel exports.
Zelenskyy, meanwhile, linked the possibility of halting Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil facilities to an end to attacks on his country’s energy network, stressing that any de-escalation must be reciprocal and cover electricity and gas infrastructure, rather than being limited to Russian refineries.
