Within hours of Donald Trump announcing what he called an immediate energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, a drone hit a power plant in Kyiv, cutting electricity to parts of the capital. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said further strikes soon followed on energy facilities in the north-eastern Kharkiv region, raising immediate doubts about whether any truce exists at all. Trump's social media post gave no details of how the ceasefire was negotiated, who agreed to it, or when it would be verified. Zelensky admitted the announcement came as news to him, saying Ukrainian officials were waiting for clarity on Washington's conversations with Moscow.

Kyiv, he added, was ready to halt strikes on Russian energy sites if Russia did the same — a conditional endorsement rather than a confirmed deal. The Kremlin had not commented by the time this story was published. The confusion unfolds against a backdrop of growing unease over a separate US-brokered diesel deal, which temporarily lifts sanctions so Russian diesel can reach American and global markets. Zelensky has called that arrangement a gift to President Vladimir Putin, and critics in Europe, along with some of Trump's fellow Republicans, have voiced similar objections.

Trump has pressed Ukraine to stop targeting Russian oil infrastructure, which Kyiv considers one of its most effective tools for choking off revenue that funds Moscow's war effort, so that the diesel shipments can proceed. The push comes as Trump, facing voter anger over fuel prices inflamed by the conflict with Iran, looks for ways to ease costs before the midterm elections. Despite the uncertainty, several Western governments moved quickly to back the idea of a ceasefire. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Britain strongly supported a sustained halt to energy strikes starting immediately, with France, Canada and the European Union offering similar statements.