Russian Strikes Kill Civilians Across Ukraine as Kyiv Accuses Moscow of Violating Trump-Announced Energy Ceasefire

Kyiv: Successive waves of Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight and into Monday killed several people and injured dozens more. Kyiv said attacks on its energy facilities breached a ceasefire on such targets that had been announced by United States President Donald Trump.

President Trump is under pressure over high energy prices ahead of next month’s US midterm elections. He caught Kyiv and its European allies off guard by declaring that Ukraine and Russia had agreed to stop striking each other’s energy systems. He has also announced a deal to purchase diesel from Russia and urged Ukrainians to replace President Volodymyr Zelenskiy through elections.

Ukraine’s European partners were sceptical of the proposed energy ceasefire and called on Washington to keep up pressure on Moscow. Meanwhile, the European Union approved its largest package of sanctions against Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.

President Zelenskiy has said he learned of the purported ceasefire only through the media. He reported that a Russian jet-powered drone struck a gas production facility in Ukraine at midnight, and that several drones hit a petrol station.

“There were Russian violations of the energy ceasefire announced by President Trump,” Zelenskiy told a conference in Warsaw by video link. “This energy ceasefire, it can work, and it can become a major step toward ending the war if the Americans truly step in now and make sure Russians respect it. We are waiting for the details of the conditions between the Americans and Russians, and we are waiting to see one specific step the Americans are ready to take.”

Zelenskiy stated that Ukraine had not attacked any Russian refineries overnight. He made clear, however, that any suspension of such strikes would depend on Russia ending its attacks on Ukraine’s energy system. He added that elections, which are suspended under wartime conditions, could take place if Moscow agreed to a full 60-day ceasefire.

Moscow said discussions on a possible energy ceasefire were continuing. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said further details would be released in due course, but he rejected Zelenskiy’s proposal for a 60-day truce. “In the Kremlin, both President (Vladimir) Putin and officials at other levels have repeatedly stated that we do not want a ceasefire,” Peskov said. “We want long-term peace and are prepared to do everything possible to achieve it.”

Civilian Toll in Kharkiv and Ivano-Frankivsk

In Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, rescue teams worked through the night under floodlights, searching the rubble of destroyed buildings. Resident Nataliia Minka said she had just reached a shelter when a missile struck nearby. She and her child saw what they believed was a missile hitting a nearby power station.

“Ten minutes had passed since they promised they wouldn’t target energy facilities,” she said. “It’s so hard to describe how a child was lying there, already covered up, and the father was running around her, crying and screaming. It’s so terrifying — it’s impossible to get through something like this.”

Municipal officials said overnight attacks killed at least three people in Kharkiv. Further strikes on residential buildings in the morning injured at least 22 more. At least three other people were reported killed on Sunday in the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk.

European Leaders Call for Sustained Pressure

President Trump’s announcement closely resembles an energy ceasefire he declared a month ago, which neither side ever confirmed.

The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, said she would prefer a broader ceasefire “which includes people not being killed.” She also said it was unclear whether Russia would honour any agreement. Speaking at a meeting of foreign ministers in Luxembourg, she said: “We would call the US to get the sanctions in place so that we could actually finish the war.”

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Moscow “will only negotiate seriously under pressure, which is why we are sticking to our sanctions against Russia.” He added: “Following Moscow’s ruthless attacks on Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure, we must actually tighten them further.”

Washington’s Growing Impatience

In recent months, Ukraine has stepped up strikes on Russian oil refineries and logistics hubs. Kyiv describes these as its response to four and a half years of sustained Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities, including a continuing campaign against the country’s heating and power supply, especially during winter.

President Trump has grown increasingly impatient with Kyiv. He blames its strikes on Russian refineries for the sharp rise in fuel costs, with diesel in particular reaching record prices since he launched his military campaign against Iran. On Saturday, he said Zelenskiy had “better damn well stop” attacking Russian refineries.

According to a person familiar with the matter, the United States has threatened to cut off intelligence sharing with Ukraine. It has also threatened to halt weapons supplies, which Washington no longer provides directly but allows European countries to purchase on Kyiv’s behalf.