Putin Resists Energy Truce Announced by Trump

Russian President Vladimir Putin is reluctant to agree to an energy ceasefire with Ukraine before winter, despite US President Donald Trump announcing on Monday, Sept. 14, that both sides had accepted such a deal.People familiar with the Kremlin told the Financial Times (FT) that Putin believes continued attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure during winter could increase pressure on Kyiv to make concessions.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.Trump announced the purported agreement on Truth Social, writing: “Ukraine has agreed not to hit Russian Energy targets. Russia has agreed to do, likewise!”However, the announcement reportedly caught Ukrainian officials off guard, while Moscow did not immediately confirm that it had agreed to stop its attacks.The White House did not provide further information about the terms, duration, or enforcement of the purported truce.Officials involved in talks between the US, Ukraine, and Russia told the FT that a pause in energy strikes had been discussed for months, initially during trilateral negotiations, and later through separate meetings and back-channel contacts.A person familiar with Moscow’s position confirmed that Russia and Ukraine had resumed discussions. However, no formal agreement or credible Russian guarantees had been secured when Trump made his announcement.Moscow keeps winter pressure optionUkraine has repeatedly proposed a reciprocal halt to strikes on energy facilities, ports, and other critical infrastructure, according to the FT. Other Topics of Interest ‘VOICES. An Evening of Premieres’: Kyiv Camerata to Present Music of Memory, Hope and Victory On Sept. 21, the Kyiv Camerata, the Kyiv Chamber Choir, and a roster of soloists will present world and Ukrainian premieres at the National Philharmonic of Ukraine. Moscow previously rejected those proposals and instead intensified its attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, officials involved in the negotiations said.President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv was prepared to stop striking Russian energy targets if Ukraine’s partners could ensure that Moscow genuinely halted its attacks.“Ukraine is not convinced that Russia is willing to abide by any agreement,” Zelensky said.He added that Ukrainian energy facilities, ports, logistics centers, and warehouses storing food and medicines, continue to be attacked daily.Zelensky said a halt to infrastructure attacks could become a first step toward peace but stressed that any arrangement must be reliable, long-term, and produce tangible improvements for civilians.As Kyiv Post previously reported, the Kremlin welcomed Trump’s earlier demand for Ukraine to stop striking Russian refineries but did not publicly commit to halting Russian attacks in return.Previous US efforts to negotiate an energy ceasefire have also failed to prevent Russia from continuing its strikes on Ukraine’s power plants and other critical infrastructure.Diesel prices drive Trump’s pushTrump has blamed Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refineries for rising global diesel prices, saying on Sunday that Zelensky should stop targeting Russia’s fuel production.Two senior Ukrainian officials told the FT that they believed Trump wanted to demonstrate to US voters concerned about fuel prices that he was working to reduce them.However, an assessment by the Kyiv School of Economics Institute found that the US war with Iran had disrupted global diesel and gas oil supplies far more than Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries.According to the assessment, exports from the Persian Gulf fell by 152 million barrels between March and August, compared with a 68 million-barrel decline in Russian exports.The loss from the Gulf was therefore approximately 2.2 times greater than the reduction in Russian supplies, the institute said.Ukraine says its refinery campaign is intended to weaken Russia’s ability to finance and sustain its full-scale invasion, while Moscow continues targeting Ukraine’s energy system and civilian infrastructure. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.