Washington (United States) (AFP) – US President Donald Trump said in a brief statement Sunday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to halt strikes on each other’s energy infrastructure, prompting surprise from Ukraine’s leader, who said the announcement was “news for me”. There was no immediate comment from Russia on Trump’s claim. Russia has launched waves of attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure since invading in February 2022, knocking out power and heating to millions during freezing temperatures, while Ukraine has systematically struck Russian oil refineries that it says fund the war.
Ukraine’s largest private energy provider, DTEK, announced fresh power outages in the capital Kyiv on Sunday amid the attacks. “Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social network, without further details. Earlier Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated that his country would be ready to stop hitting Russian oil refineries if Russia curbed its own attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Reacting to Trump’s ceasefire announcement, Zelensky told the Axios news outlet that it was “news for me”.
Prices at US gasoline and diesel pumps have surged since late February, when joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran prompted Tehran to block the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway used for oil exports from the Gulf.
– ‘Up to our people’ – Trump’s announcement came amid mounting tensions between Trump and Zelensky over an agreement between Russia and the United States on diesel. Zelensky said the deal was a “weak decision”, while several of Ukraine’s European allies pledged to increase pressure on Moscow, despite the agreement. The deal would see Moscow release large amounts of diesel onto the global market in exchange for temporary sanctions relief. Addressing the criticism on Saturday, Trump claimed Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries were to blame for rising diesel prices, adding that it was “time for Ukraine to get a new president”.
Zelensky pushed back on the suggestion in an interview on Sunday. “First of all, with all respect to President Trump, it’s up to our society, up to our people to choose one or another leader,” Zelensky told ABC News. Germany’s foreign minister said Sunday that Berlin continued to “fully support” Zelensky. “Europe needs stability and that means that we are very clearly continuing to stay by the side of Ukraine and its government,” Johann Wadephul said in Berlin.
And in Kyiv, several residents expressed concern about Trump’s call for Zelensky to be replaced. “I believe our president is the best, and Americans should think about their own president,” said 40-year-old local Olesia Goncharuk. “We Ukrainians decide our own fate and our own freedom, and we are free people,” she told AFP. The row between Zelensky and Trump comes weeks before closely-fought US elections dominated by voter frustration over the cost of living.
© 2024 AFP
