Ukraine says Russia violated Trump’s energy ceasefire with strikes on six facilities

Ukraine says Russia violated a US-proposed halt to strikes on energy infrastructure. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow was unwilling to accept the arrangement.

Russian forces hit six Ukrainian energy facilities on Monday, according to Zelenskyy. He said the attacks made Russia’s unwillingness to respect an energy ceasefire increasingly clear.

Russia’s Defence Ministry also reported drone strikes on targets in Ukraine, including three cargo vessels it said were carrying military supplies to Black Sea ports. Two vessels were bound for Odesa and one for Mykolaiv.

Moscow rejects a temporary ceasefire

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia rejected a temporary ceasefire and wanted a long-term peace agreement instead. He said Moscow was prepared to do everything possible to achieve one.

Zelenskyy had said Ukraine was ready to respect an energy ceasefire if Russia did the same. He described such an arrangement as a potentially important step towards ending the war, while saying the US needed to ensure Moscow complied.

Strikes cause civilian deaths

Three people, including a 13-year-old girl, were killed when a Russian strike hit a house near the frontline city of Kramatorsk, local authorities said. Donetsk regional military administration head Vadym Filashkin said cluster munitions hit the house in the Cherkaske area.

The European Union said it did not plan to ease pressure on Russia. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas also said member states politically supported barring Russians who fought in Ukraine from entering the bloc, although implementation details still had to be worked out.