Russia and Ukraine exchange strikes hours after Trump claims energy truce

Zelensky says Ukraine not convinced Russia will abide by any agreement

Russia and Ukraine exchanged overnight aerial strikes on each other’s infrastructure on Sept. 15, hours after President Trump posted on social media that both sides had agreed to halt attacks on energy targets. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia “continues to attack our energy sector, regular logistics, and critical infrastructure,” without elaborating. Other officials said Russian strikes hit gas stations in Kyiv and unspecified energy infrastructure in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region.

Ukraine has long suggested it would be prepared to halt its drone and missile strikes that have targeted Russian oil facilities if Russia would halt its own aerial bombing campaign that caused blackouts and cuts to heating in cities across Ukraine last winter. At the same time, Zelensky said that Ukraine struck the Syzran oil refinery in southern Russia and a drone production facility. Ukraine’s energy ministry said partial power cuts were in place in five regions due to various Russian attacks.

Both sides have been intensifying their campaigns in recent weeks. With Russian forces unable to achieve more than minuscule advances on the front lines, Moscow has resorted to striking civilian targets in Ukraine with drones and missiles, including trains and gas stations, The Wall Street Journal reported. Western diplomats worry that Russia is seeking to provoke a major power-and-heating crisis in Ukraine this winter, as the war slips toward a sixth year.

Trump said Sunday that the U.S. told Zelensky that Ukraine needs to stop hitting diesel fuel in Russia. “Mr. Zelensky has to do one thing,” Trump said. “He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia, let him go after targets but not diesel fuel, because he’s causing a shortage of diesel fuel.”

On Monday, Trump posted on social media that both sides had agreed to stop striking energy targets. Hours later, Zelensky gave a more muted appraisal, saying that his country had asked its partners to try to secure an agreement with Russia to stop destroying critical infrastructure, and that Ukraine would halt its own strikes if this was secured.

“Food, energy, and other basics that sustain life must be protected, and Russian strikes are directed primarily against them. Every day, Ukrainian energy facilities, port infrastructure, logistics, and even warehouses storing food and pharmaceuticals are targeted,” Zelensky said. “Ukraine is not convinced that Russia is willing to abide by any agreement.”

Zelensky said he wanted a long-term, reliable halt to strikes rather than a short-lived one that could help Putin briefly reduce gasoline and diesel prices ahead of Russian parliamentary elections this month. “The war must be brought to an end. And a de-escalatory step regarding critical infrastructure could be the first step toward peace,” Zelensky said. “We expect specifics from our partners.”

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called Trump’s energy ceasefire “a good initiative” in comments quoted by Russia’s state news agency TASS on Tuesday.

Kyiv has increased the number and range of its own strikes, including one that hit a gas facility in the Russian Arctic nearly 2,000 miles from Ukraine, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Russia and Ukraine agreed to a brief pause to strikes on each other’s capitals while two U.S. envoys visited Moscow then Kyiv earlier this month for talks, which were inconclusive.