Donald Trump announced on Monday that Ukraine and Russia had reached an agreement to mutually suspend attacks on energy infrastructures, according to the agency EFE.
The U.S. President posted the announcement on his Truth Social account amid a surge in fuel prices that threatens his political standing ahead of the legislative elections in November.
Ukraine has agreed not to attack Russian energy targets. Russia has agreed to do the same, wrote Trump, who took the opportunity to add that "the rise in diesel prices worldwide is primarily due to the war between Russia and Ukraine, not Iran."
The announcement came one day after Trump, during his visit to Ireland over the weekend, publicly urged the Ukrainian president Volodimir Zelenski to halt attacks on Russian diesel facilities.
“Zelenski has to do one thing. He has to stop sabotaging the diesel in Russia,” Trump stated to reporters. “He should target other objectives, but not the diesel, because it is causing a diesel shortage,” he added.
However, Zelensky immediately clarified the scope of the announcement. In a post on his X account, the Ukrainian leader clarified that there is no officially confirmed agreement and that Kiev has only "proposed that its partners reach an agreement with Russia to end the destruction of critical infrastructure."
Zelenski conditioned any cessation of Ukrainian attacks on concrete guarantees from Western allies. "If our partners are willing to ensure that Russia truly refrains from attacking our electrical system, other energy facilities, critical infrastructure, and food supply routes, then, of course, we are prepared to ensure the corresponding suspension of our attacks," he wrote.
The Ukrainian president also expressed scepticism about Russia's willingness to fulfill any commitments, warning that the agreement should not "collapse" after the Russian elections, referring to the possibility that Moscow is merely seeking a temporary relief from the pressure on its fuel prices.
Ukraine has intensified in recent months its attacks on Russian refineries and diesel storage facilities as part of Zelensky's strategy of "long-range sanctions" to undermine the Russian economy.
Russia, for its part, has been systematically attacking Ukrainian electrical and energy infrastructure since the beginning of its large-scale invasion in February 2022, especially during the winter months.
This is not the first time such a truce has been attempted: in March 2025, Trump announced a ceasefire in energy infrastructure after speaking with Putin, but Zelensky reported that Russia violated it on more than 30 occasions.
The internal political background is crucial for understanding Trump's announcement. The price of diesel in the United States exceeded six dollars per gallon for the first time in history—reaching about $6.06 on September 10—which poses enormous pressure on the administration with less than two months until the midterm elections.
The Democratic governor of California, Gavin Newsom, responded by attacking Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright: "Everyone knew that Trump's Iran war would disrupt the Strait of Hormuz and drive costs up," he wrote on X.
Experts point out that the war in the Middle East—triggered in late February 2026 by the attacks from the United States and Israel on Iran—has had a far greater impact on global energy markets than the conflict in Ukraine.
Iranian forces effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a quarter of the world's seaborne oil trade passes, causing the price of crude to soar to over $126 per barrel at its peak.
Zelenski concluded his post with a call to action: "The war must come to an end. And a step towards détente regarding critical infrastructure could be the first towards peace. We await concrete proposals from our partners."
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