US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that an energy truce between Russia and Ukraine is now in effect, according to RaiNews. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had not been informed of the terms and was still waiting for details, RaiNews reported. Zelensky also said Russian forces struck a power plant in Kyiv with a Shahed drone after Trump's announcement, causing outages in several districts, and that energy facilities in the Kharkiv region were hit afterward.
Why it matters
The announcement concerns attacks on energy infrastructure, which have shaped the war for months by cutting power to civilians far from the front line. If it holds, the arrangement could reduce pressure on Ukraine's grid ahead of winter. If it does not, it risks becoming another failed diplomatic gesture, with both sides trading blame while strikes continue.
Zelensky's account suggests the truce was not functioning at the moment it was declared. He said the strikes came "after" Trump's statement, a sequence he stressed in his Telegram post. That timing is central to how the announcement will be judged.
The episode also exposes a coordination gap. Trump presented the truce as immediate; Kyiv said it was learning about it from public remarks. European officials offered support for the idea while questioning whether Moscow would honor it.
Kyiv reports strikes and thanks Europe for new aid
In his Telegram post, Zelensky said a Shahed drone hit a power plant in Kyiv, leaving many neighborhoods without electricity. He said energy facilities in the Kharkiv region were struck next. He described both as occurring after Trump's declaration.
Zelensky said he told European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen about the attacks during what he called a thorough conversation covering nearly every area of Ukraine's cooperation with the European Union and the decisions needed to sustain his country. He thanked her for a recent defense aid tranche of 1.24 billion euros that has already reached Ukraine, and said he was grateful for confirmation that roughly 3 billion euros in further military assistance would be allocated the following week. He said the funds would strengthen Ukraine.
He appealed to European states for dependable support, saying that under current conditions it means concrete protection for human lives and ensures Russia cannot force Ukraine to submit. He said every practical step in support of Ukraine's defense and people is deeply valued.
Zelensky said he and von der Leyen agreed their teams would hold substantive talks on future joint actions and coordination. He said preparations are underway for opening negotiation clusters, with the goal of starting all remaining clusters by the end of the year. He described Ukraine's European path as also a path toward a stronger Europe.
Von der Leyen said in a statement that she had a good call with Zelensky and fully backed his call for a ceasefire that protects global food supplies and energy infrastructure in both Ukraine and Russia. She said the war has entered a darker new phase, that Russia is stalled on the battlefield and is striking civilians far from the front lines. She expressed solidarity with the Ukrainian people and full support for Zelensky, whom she described as leading his people's fight for freedom.
Mixed signals from Washington's allies
French President Emmanuel Macron said he supports without reservation the call for a genuine energy truce, which he said Ukraine is ready to accept. He added that Russia is still refusing it and has intensified attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure in recent hours. Without naming Trump, Macron said France will continue to stand with Ukraine and with Zelensky.
Reporting cited by RaiNews also pointed to pressure from Washington in another direction. ANSA reported that Trump threatened to block weapons deliveries to Kyiv over Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries. Il Fatto Quotidiano reported that Zelensky responded to the truce announcement by asking to be told when it starts. Il Post reported widespread skepticism about the announcement. Il Foglio framed the move as a concession to the Kremlin.
Zelensky said he awaits more information about the energy truce and hopes the Kremlin will respect its terms.
Separately, Russia's defense ministry said its forces struck a logistics center in the Mykolaiv region of southern Ukraine and a merchant vessel in the Black Sea, according to Reuters, which cited a ministry statement on Telegram. The ministry said the logistics center in the city of Ternivka stored military and dual-use cargo destined for the Ukrainian army. It said the ship was carrying military cargo toward the Black Sea port of Chornomorsk. The claims could not be independently verified.
In London, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he believes Russia interfered in the 2016 Brexit referendum and is now trying to influence voters in France and Germany. Burnham, who took over as Britain's leader in July and said in September he might consider rejoining the European Union, is the first British head of government to openly assert that evidence exists of Russian interference in the referendum a decade ago.
Speaking on the podcast The Rest Is Politics, Burnham said he asked the question upon entering Downing Street and received a clear answer that interference occurred. He did not explain how he believes Moscow interfered or provide evidence, but urged voters in European democracies to be better informed about attempts to shape their political life. He said it is important these facts are now clearly on the record and that they could help voters in Germany and France understand that part of their politics is fueled by what he called "our enemies, namely Russia."
Reuters reporter Andrew MacAskill noted that a 2020 report by the British Parliament's intelligence and security committee found the London government had been unable to establish whether Russia actually interfered in the 2016 referendum. The same report found Moscow had tried to influence Scotland's 2014 independence referendum, in which voters rejected secession from Britain.
What to watch next is whether Moscow confirms the energy truce and whether Ukraine's grid stops being hit, since the first hours after the announcement already produced competing accounts of what is actually in force.
