WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
  • Zelensky accused Russia of attacking Ukrainian energy infrastructure after Trump announced an immediate energy ceasefire.
  • Moscow had not confirmed accepting the ceasefire, while Kyiv said it refrained from attacking Russian refineries.
  • Zelensky rejected outside efforts to replace him and said Ukraine would need at least 60 days to prepare for elections.
  • Critics questioned whether Trump’s Russian diesel arrangement could weaken American leverage and provide Moscow additional revenue.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of continuing attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure despite President Donald Trump’s announcement of an immediate energy ceasefire. He told Fox News on Monday that Vladimir Putin appeared unwilling to accept Washington’s peace push.

“We are ready today for energy ceasefire, as President Trump said. But I'm not sure that Putin is ready because even after yesterday's messages from the president about energy ceasefire, Putin attacked our gas infrastructure,” Zelensky told Bill Hemmer during a live interview on “America's Newsroom.”

Zelensky said Ukraine would honor the ceasefire and maintained that Kyiv had already refrained from striking Russian energy facilities overnight. He characterized the continued Russian attacks as Putin’s direct response to Trump’s initiative.

“It was his answer to President Trump. He attacked our energy infrastructure,” Zelensky said. “The communication from Russia was very clear that they don't know anything about energy ceasefire.”

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Trump announced Sunday on Truth Social that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to immediately stop attacking energy facilities. The supposed ceasefire quickly encountered a basic problem, however, because Moscow had not confirmed that it had accepted such an agreement.

Axios reported Sunday that a White House official said the proposal initially concerned attacks on oil refineries. A broader ceasefire involving power plants and electrical grids could potentially follow, but the official acknowledged that Russia had not agreed.

Hemmer questioned Zelensky about whether Ukraine would stop attacking Russia’s extensive oil refinery network. Those strikes have become a disputed issue between Washington and Kyiv as global fuel prices rise.

Zelenskyy argued that restricting the arrangement to refineries would leave Ukraine’s electricity supply exposed. “When we speak about energy ceasefire, it means only one thing: that they don't attack our energy infrastructure, and we don't respond to their energy infrastructure. This is called energy ceasefire.”

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Asked directly whether Ukrainian forces would avoid Russian refineries, Zelensky offered a conditional commitment. “If Russia will not attack our energy, we will not attack the energy,” he said.

Trump has repeatedly criticized Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries, arguing that the strikes help drive fuel prices higher. He announced Friday that Russia had agreed to release diesel supplies to the United States and global markets, drawing criticism from lawmakers worried about additional revenue flowing to Moscow.

Zelensky disputed Trump’s assessment of diesel prices and instead pointed to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. “Everybody understands that the price on diesel doesn't depend on our attacks on diesel in Russia,” he said. “Everybody understands that it depends on the blocking of Hormuz Strait.”

The interview also highlighted tension over Trump’s call for Ukraine to conduct another presidential election. Trump criticized Zelensky over the weekend, suggested that Ukraine needed a new president and argued that Kyiv had missed opportunities to secure a negotiated settlement with Russia.

“If President Trump wants to change the leader in Ukraine, he has to know that only our people can change,” Zelensky responded. He said he was prepared to organize an election but maintained that Ukraine would need a substantial pause in fighting.

“I'm ready for elections. Really, we need a minimum 60 days for security of infrastructure to prepare for elections,” Zelensky said. He cited continuing Russian drone and missile attacks as threats to Ukrainian voters and election preparations.

Ukraine’s charge d’affaires in Washington, Denys Sienik, said Russian forces struck a Kyiv power plant and disrupted electricity and water supplies before attacking a thermal power plant in Kharkiv. “In total, over the course of the week, Russia struck electricity generation and transmission facilities more than 200 times,” Sienik wrote on X on Oct. 11, 2026.

East2West News agency reported that three civilians, a boy, 16, and two women, ages 19 and 51, were killed near a grocery store in the Kharkiv region. It also reported that five people were wounded in an attack on a residential tower.

Reuters separately reported Monday that Russia continued attacking Ukrainian energy targets despite Trump’s announcement, while Kyiv said it had avoided Russian refineries. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also rejected a proposed 60-day ceasefire for Ukrainian elections, arguing that European countries would replenish Ukraine’s weapons during the pause.

Carrie Filipetti, executive director of the Vandenberg Coalition and a former deputy assistant secretary of state during Trump’s first administration, questioned whether the diesel arrangement could weaken American leverage. She argued that Russian energy revenue remained an important source of financing for Moscow’s military campaign.

Morgan Murphy, former head of public diplomacy for the Special Presidential Envoy to Russia and Ukraine, defended Trump’s effort to push both countries toward negotiations. Zelensky likewise called a ceasefire an important beginning, saying, “We want to end this war as quickly as possible” and “Ceasefire is a good first step from both sides. This is very important.”

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