Russia and Ukraine launched fresh attacks against each other’s energy infrastructure overnight, raising immediate questions about President Donald Trump’s announcement that the two countries had agreed to halt such strikes.
Trump said Monday that Moscow and Kyiv had agreed to stop targeting each other’s energy facilities, presenting the move as an effort to curb an aerial campaign he has linked to rising global fuel prices. However, statements from Ukraine and Russia suggested that no firm ceasefire agreement had yet been reached.
Hours after Trump’s announcement, Russia launched approximately 200 drones at Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials, striking energy, port and transportation infrastructure across the country. In Kyiv, one person was killed and seven others were injured after attacks hit two gas stations, warehouses and other locations, local authorities said.
Russian strikes also damaged homes and infrastructure in southern and western Ukraine as Moscow continued the near-nightly drone and missile campaign that has become a central feature of the war.
Ukraine, meanwhile, continued its own campaign against Russian energy and military infrastructure. Kyiv’s military said Ukrainian forces struck the Syzran oil refinery in Russia’s Samara region. Ukrainian officials also reported attacks against a drone production facility in Taganrog and a drone preparation and launch site in Russia’s Oryol region.
The renewed strikes exposed a significant discrepancy between Trump’s description of the situation and the positions expressed by Moscow and Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy indicated that Ukraine would stop attacking Russian energy infrastructure only if Russia did the same, while expressing doubt that Moscow would honour such an arrangement.
The Kremlin also stopped short of confirming that an agreement had been reached. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described Trump’s proposal as a “very good idea” and said discussions with Washington were continuing, suggesting the initiative remained under negotiation rather than already in effect.
The White House did not immediately clarify what commitments, if any, had been secured from the two governments.
Trump has argued that the exchange of attacks on energy infrastructure is contributing to a global fuel shortage and record U.S. diesel prices. Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russian oil refineries and other facilities deep inside Russian territory as part of its effort to weaken Moscow’s ability to finance and sustain its war.
Previous temporary pauses have failed to produce a lasting cessation of hostilities. Trump secured a three-day ceasefire in May, while another three-day pause was arranged earlier this month as U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held discussions in Moscow and Kyiv. Fighting resumed after those diplomatic efforts failed to deliver a broader breakthrough.
Meanwhile, fighting continued on the battlefield. Ukrainian Brig. Gen. Andrii Biletskyi announced a new operation in the eastern Donetsk region near the strategically important cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. He said Ukrainian troops had cleared Russian infiltration units from roughly 29 square miles of territory and recaptured an additional four square miles.
Tensions also extended beyond Ukraine. NATO fighter jets shot down an unidentified drone in Lithuanian airspace overnight, although authorities had not determined its origin. The incident came shortly after NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte warned that Russian attacks near alliance territory could result in greater support for Ukraine.
Denmark separately summoned Russia’s ambassador after Danish authorities said a Russian warship fired flares toward a Danish military helicopter over the Baltic Sea.
The developments underscore the difficulty facing Washington as it attempts to negotiate even a limited reduction in hostilities. Despite Trump’s declaration of an agreement, the continuing attacks and more cautious statements from Moscow and Kyiv indicate that a mutually accepted ceasefire on energy infrastructure has yet to clearly take hold.
