Trump's 'energy truce': an hour after the announcement, Russia hit Kharkiv's CHP-5

What happened

On Sunday, 11 October, at around 17:20 Kyiv time, US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social: “An energy ceasefire in the war between Russia and Ukraine takes effect immediately. Both sides have agreed. Don’t violate it!”

Ukraine had not confirmed any such deal in advance. According to Axios reporter Barak Ravid, Volodymyr Zelensky did not know about the announcement but was ready to agree to it. As of the morning of 12 October, Russia had not commented on Trump’s statement.

Strikes on CHP-5 and Kyiv

Roughly an hour after Trump’s post, from 18:15, a series of explosions was heard in the suburbs of Kharkiv, with hits recorded on an energy facility, Suspilne reported. In his evening address Zelensky said: “There has just been a strike on CHP-5 in Kharkiv. On Kharkiv’s energy.”

According to the president, shortly before his call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Russia hit a power plant in Kyiv with a Shahed drone, cutting electricity in many districts of the capital. “And this is already AFTER the statement by the President of the United States about an energy ceasefire,” Zelensky stressed.

He also gave the week’s tally: more than 200 Russian strikes on power generation and transmission facilities, plus 17 strikes on gas and oil sites.

Kyiv’s position

Zelensky called Trump’s announcement “good news for everyone” and said Ukraine was ready to refrain from striking Russian energy if Russia did the same. “Ukraine wants peace. The question is: does Russia? The Armed Forces of Ukraine have received all the relevant orders,” he said.

After a call with his German counterpart Johann Wadephul, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X: “Russia violated the energy ceasefire immediately after it was announced.” He reaffirmed Ukraine’s readiness for a full energy ceasefire if Russia stops attacking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

What the White House actually meant

According to Axios, a White House official explained that by “energy ceasefire” Trump meant a mutual halt to attacks on oil refineries specifically — a “refinery for refinery” formula. Only if that holds could a deal on power plants and grids follow.

Axios noted the offer is lopsided: Ukraine has only one refinery, which has been attacked repeatedly and is not running at full capacity, while Russia has an extensive refining network. “We import diesel and gas. We need the Russians to stop attacking our power grid,” a Ukrainian official told Axios.

The same report says the White House is angry about Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries, and that Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner postponed a planned trip to Moscow.

Why it matters

Winter is approaching, and for Ukraine the key issue is protecting power grids and combined heat and power plants, not refineries. If Moscow does not confirm the truce and keeps striking, the ceasefire announced in Washington will remain on paper only. The coming days should show whether the Kremlin gives Trump an answer.