Putin Ignores Trump's 'Energy Ceasefire' Amid Renewed Kyiv Strikes

Russian forces launched a series of heavy overnight strikes targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure, killing at least six people and cutting power to significant portions of the capital, Kyiv. The attacks occurred as Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to disregard a proposed "energy ceasefire" outlined by former U.S. President Donald Trump.

President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine received no advance warning from Western allies before a recent Russian strike on a Kyiv power plant. This lack of early notification is crucial for Ukraine, which relies heavily on intelligence from its allies to detect incoming attacks and identify targets. Renewed tensions with the United States have reportedly cast doubt on these intelligence-sharing arrangements.

In Kyiv, a strike on a multi-story building in the Desnianskyi district resulted in two fatalities, while another attack in the Golosiivsky district killed one person. The Dnipropetrovsk region experienced two deaths and six injuries due to Russian attacks. Additionally, one person was killed in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region. Explosions were heard overnight in Kyiv, and electricity and water supplies were disrupted in the eastern parts of the city. Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed that energy facilities in Kyiv and the surrounding region sustained massive ballistic missile strikes, causing power disruptions and urging residents to remain in shelters.

DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy provider, reported emergency power cuts in several districts of Kyiv due to the attack. Further Russian ballistic missile strikes were reported in the Kharkiv and Zhytomyr regions, with other strikes hitting Sumy and Chernigiv.

Separately, Ukrainian authorities reported a drone strike in Russia's Saratov region that killed one person in the city of Balakovo. Russian authorities also claimed that air defense forces downed nearly 500 drones heading towards Moscow and around 160 more over the Rostov region.

President Zelensky expressed surprise at the reported "energy ceasefire" announced by Trump on his Truth Social network, suggesting that the subsequent strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure were Putin's response to Trump's claim. Zelensky has previously criticized Trump's statements and actions, particularly Trump's suggestion that it was "time for Ukraine to get a new president" and his reported plans to purchase diesel from Russia.

In a statement on X, Zelensky accused Putin of showing "ostentatious disrespect" toward the United States by ignoring the proposed ceasefire. He noted that "39 ballistic missiles and more than 120 attack drones and loitering munitions" were used against Ukrainian energy and critical infrastructure. Zelensky highlighted that the strike on energy infrastructure, specifically targeting CHP-4, was "entirely deliberate and demonstrative in its scale," indicating that "Russia has never before shown such ostentatious disrespect toward the United States."

He reported that at least 600,000 people were left without power and warned of potentially more widespread outages. According to Zelensky, at least 26 power facilities and four in the oil and gas sector sustained significant damage, along with infrastructure belonging to Ukraine's state railway.

Zelensky reiterated calls for additional Patriot missile interceptor packages from the United States and emphasized the need for international support, stating, "no country in the world should be left alone to face such a deranged and pro-war actor as Russia."