Axios: Trump's "energy ceasefire" would cover only attacks on oil refineries
A White House official has told Axios that an "energy ceasefire", as understood by US President Donald Trump, means that Russia and Ukraine will stop attacks solely on each other's oil refineries, and that this is what Washington expects Ukraine to do. However, Ukraine has only one oil refinery, which is not operating at full capacity.
Source: Axios, citing sources
Quote: "President Trump's announcement Sunday about an 'energy ceasefire' between Russia and Ukraine referred to a potential deal that includes each side stopping attacks on oil refineries – and he expects Volodymyr Zelenskyy to abide by it, a White House official said.
The official said if attacks on oil refineries cease, a deal to stop hitting power plants and energy grids could come next."
Details: Axios said the "refinery for refinery" proposal, as the White House official described it, is not an equal arrangement.
A Ukrainian official told Axios that the country has only one oil refinery, which the Russians have attacked repeatedly and which is not operating at full capacity. Russia, by contrast, has an extensive network of oil refineries.
"We import diesel and gas. What we need is for the Russians to stop attacking our electricity grid," the Ukrainian official said.
"The Russians are thinking about it. We will know soon if they are ready," the White House official said.
Axios wrote that White House officials warn that Ukraine's attacks on Russian oil refineries are doing more damage to Zelenskyy's relationship with Trump than to Russia itself.
"Trump is really mad. He feels Zelenskyy is taking the US for granted," the White House official said.
The report also said that Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have postponed their planned trip to Moscow amid the crisis with Ukraine, "at least until they get clarity on whether Ukraine and the Europeans are ready to agree to a new unified proposal for Putin".
Background:
- On 11 October, US President Donald Trump claimed that Ukraine and Russia had agreed to an immediate energy ceasefire.
- Barak Ravid, a journalist at American news portal Axios, stated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had been unaware of the "energy ceasefire" between Ukraine and Russia announced by Trump, but is willing to agree to it.
- Zelenskyy later said that, following Trump's statement, the Russians had struckCHPP-5 (a combined heat and power plant) in Kharkiv and a power station in Kyiv.
- Russia has yet to comment on Trump's statement.
- Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that Russia had violated the "energy ceasefire" immediately after it was announced by Trump.
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