Trump declines to blame Russia for ceasefire violation, cites Ukraine strikes

U.S. President Donald Trump on Oct. 13 did not directly accuse Russia of violating an energy ceasefire he announced, instead suggesting that Ukraine had also struck Russian energy sites prior to the agreement. Trump had unexpectedly announced the ceasefire on Oct. 11, stating that an agreement was in place "because I said they agreed."

When questioned by reporters about potential Russian violations, Trump briefly responded, "I'll let you know about that later." He added, "Well, Ukraine hit many sites the day before."

Hours after Trump's announcement, Russia reportedly violated the ceasefire by striking Kharkiv's CHP-5 power plant. According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Kremlin attacked six energy facilities on Oct. 11, resulting in 33 injuries across the country. Zelensky also disclosed that over the preceding week, Russia had conducted more than 200 strikes on Ukraine's electricity and transmission infrastructure, alongside 17 strikes on gas and oil facilities.

Despite these attacks, Ukraine has refrained from targeting Russia's oil refineries for the past two days. "We are ready to respect an energy ceasefire if Russia is ready to do the same," Zelensky stated on Oct. 12, questioning the utility of a ceasefire focused solely on oil refineries given that Ukraine's single, "badly damaged" refinery had previously been attacked by Russia.

Russia has not formally responded to the ceasefire proposal, with reports indicating President Putin is not interested in such an agreement. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated on Oct. 12 that Russia "want[s] long-term peace and are prepared to do everything possible to achieve it," without elaborating on the specifics of this goal. Trump commented that "We are working with them (Ukraine) and Russia on getting the war to end."