Trump pushes Russia-Ukraine ‘energy truce’: Can it work?

A proposal by US President Donald Trump for an “energy ceasefire” between Russia and Ukraine appeared to be gaining ground this week when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv was “ready” to make an agreement.

Trump has blamed the Ukraine-Russia war for the current record rise in diesel prices in the United States, which has become a major issue as the country approaches midterm elections in November.

Trump and Zelenskyy met for 40 minutes on Tuesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York to discuss efforts to end Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, now in its fifth year.

In comments to reporters at the UN headquarters, Zelenskyy said Kyiv would halt strikes on Russian energy facilities if Moscow stopped targeting Ukraine’s energy systems as well. “If they don’t want us to attack their diesel and refineries, we are ready – if they will not attack our energy system, our electricity, heating system, water supplies,” he said.

The Trump-Zelenskyy meeting comes as a barrage of attacks on energy facilities by both Russia and Ukraine continues unabated, raising questions over whether such a truce could indeed be reached – and whether it could hold.

This year, Ukraine has massively expanded strikes on Russia’s oil industry, using long-range drones to strike refineries and other energy facilities at sites up to 3,000km (1,865 miles) from the Ukrainian border. The aim is to disrupt Russia’s energy industry , which it relies on to fund its war effort.

A September 20 attack forced the Moscow oil refinery, which processed about 230,000 barrels of crude a day in 2024, to halt crude processing, the Reuters news agency reported, citing industry sources. Also this month, Ukraine launched its deepest-ever attack into Russia, targeting two Arctic gas condensate facilities more than 3,000km (1,865 miles) from its border.

On Wednesday, Russia slammed ⁠jet-powered drones into two petrol stations and other sites in Kyiv, killing ⁠one and injuring at least seven people. Ukrainian oil company Ukrnafta said Russia had hit one of its petrol stations ⁠in the capital, the ⁠sixth such facility attacked in recent weeks.