BREAKING: Trump claims Ukraine, Russia agree to halt strikes on energy targets

U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on Sept. 14 that Ukraine and Russia have agreed to halt strikes on "energy targets", as fuel prices continue to rise worldwide.

"Ukraine has agreed not to hit Russian Energy Targets. Russia has agreed to do, likewise!" Trump said in a Truth Social post.

"The World's Diesel prise rise is mostly caused by the Russia/Ukraine war, not Iran."

Neither Ukraine nor Russia has confirmed that such a deal had been struck. Ukraine's Presidential Office did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication.

The announcement comes just a day after Trump directly blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for rising diesel prices — including in the U.S., where the price soared to a record $6.23 per gallon ($1.65 per liter) over the weekend.

"Mr. Zelensky has to do one thing. He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia," Trump said on Sept 13. "Let him go after targets, but not diesel fuel, because he's causing a shortage of diesel."

"We spoke to Mr. Zelensky about it... This isn't done by the Middle East."

Trump's war against Iran has knocked out more than 20% of Middle Eastern refining capacity and effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, which previously carried roughly a fifth of global oil supplies.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has continued targeting Russian oil infrastructure as part of its broader effort to disrupt fuel supplies and reduce revenues that Moscow uses to finance its war against Ukraine.

The strike campaign, which has escalated significantly in scale and scope over the last 12 months thanks to the advancements in Ukraine's arsenal of long-range drones, has been a crucial lever of offensive pressure for Kyiv.

The announcement is not the first time that a limited "energy truce" has been proposed in Russia's war against Ukraine.

The idea that both sides cease such attacks was raised numerous times during the fruitless peace talks mediated by the Trump administration over summer 2025.

On Sept. 13, Zelensky announced plans to discuss halting Russian and Ukrainian strikes on energy infrastructure and in the Black Sea during a possible meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump next week in New York.

The meeting could take place on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly between Sept. 21-23 if the presidents' schedules align. The talks would come as U.S.-led efforts to broker a broader peace deal remain stalled over Russia's territorial demands.

"We are open to a maritime ceasefire, as well as an energy ceasefire. I plan to discuss all of this," Zelensky said in an interview with Ukraine's national television aired on Sept. 13.

Russia's reaction to Kyiv's recent proposals has been muted so far.

On Sept. 10 Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Kyiv is not offering a "permanent settlement that would fully align with (Russian) interests" and merely seeks a truce in an area that is Ukraine's "Achilles' heel."