US relations with Ukraine are once again spiraling fast, especially following President Trump's 'shock' declaration Saturday while addressing Zelensky's anger at the diesel deal with Russia, "I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal… And I think it's time for Ukraine to get a new president."
The rebuke had been in response to Zelensky blasting the diesel arrangement as "not fair and not honest" and a "sign of weakness" by Trump, and a "birthday gift" to Putin.
And then on Sunday morning, again to the great surprise of Western allies, Trump announced on social media a new energy ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia - except that Kiev quickly said it knows of no such ceasesfire.
"Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!"
The last such energy ceasefire attempt announced by Trump was in mid-September, but it didn't hold and in fact collapsed rather quickly after. In reality it never so much as got off the ground, before both sides were back at hammering each other's oil, gas, and electricity infrastructure.
Very soon after this latest announcement by Trump on Sunday, Zelensky told US media that it was "news to me". He said to Axios while reacting to Trump's Truth Social post: "If President Trump negotiated it with Putin, please tell us when the ceasefire begins. We are ready, and we will accept it."
And yet the dilemma for Kiev remains: it is vehemently against a US-Russian diesel deal, but any pause in energy attacks would serve to protect that very deal.
This unusual and very public back-and-forth is happening as the Ukrainian capital has been plunged into darkness:
BLACKOUT leaves parts of Kiev in total darkness Mayor’s urged people to LEAVE city 'temporarily' as capital forced into 'survival mode' https://t.co/nAq2f7CKLp
— RTVisual (@RT_Visual_on_X) October 11, 2026
Zelensky has in follow-up said on X that he was "awaiting details from the American side" - and has also complained that Russia has continued hitting Ukraine's energy sites on Sunday. According to more of the latest from Zelensky:
Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of striking a power plant in Kyiv after Donald Trump announced an "energy ceasefire".
The Ukrainian president says in a post on X that he has briefed Trump on the "brutal Russian strikes that continue unabated". He says earlier "the Russians struck a power plant in Kyiv with a 'shahed' drone, and many districts experienced power outages".
"Later, there were strikes on energy facilities in the Kharkiv region. And all of this happened AFTER the President of the United States made his statement about an energy ceasefire," he says.
His fresh video address:
Today, there was a statement from the President of the United States that an energy ceasefire has been secured. This is good news for everyone – and it is important that it become reality. Unfortunately, Ukrainian skies have been infested with Russian “shaheds” all day today. There have been glide bomb strikes and strikes on our energy infrastructure too. A power plant in Kharkiv was attacked this evening. Overall, this past week alone, the Russians have carried out more than 200 strikes on our electricity generation and transmission facilities in Ukraine, and another 17 strikes this week targeted gas and oil facilities. They have killed more than 150 of our people, and more than 700 people have been wounded. Ukraine has proposed many de-escalatory steps. Putin had one answer to all of them – “nyet.” We do hope that he will finally say something to America, Ukraine, and the entire world that will lead to a real and dignified peace. Ukraine wants peace. The question is whether Russia does. The Armed Forces of Ukraine have received all the appropriate orders. We are awaiting clear details of the dialogue between America and Russia – and we expect Putin to follow through on what President Trump said.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 11, 2026
Meanwhile Washington still has considerable leverage over Ukraine, putting Zelensky between a rock and a hard place. The Trump White House can always block weapons and funds - something it has previously threatened to do but never pulled the trigger on.
Fresh reporting in Financial Times is already putting specifics on the table to be potentially revoked:
SCOOP @FT: The Trump administration is threatening to stop the PURL procurement system that provides Ukraine with weapons in order to press Kyiv to halt its deep strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, according to officials in Europe. The officials, who received calls from American officials on Saturday and Sunday or were briefed on them, said the US was lobbying European capitals and Kyiv in an attempt to end the attacks on Russian oil refineries. The White House declined to confirm or comment on the calls. w/ @HenryJFoy @ahauslohner https://t.co/0dwv7GovPf
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) October 11, 2026
American diplomats are said to be currently lobbying European capitals to pressure Ukraine end the attacks on Russian oil refineries:
The message from the US included threats to cut off intelligence sharing and Purl (the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List) mechanism for procuring US weapons for Ukraine, the report added.
One official who was given a message from a Pentagon official stated: "They are calling Kyiv . ... They are calling everyone [in Europe]" in order to lean on them.