President Trump declared that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to halt strikes on each other's energy infrastructure, repeating an announcement he made a month earlier that Moscow has yet to accept.
"Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed," Trump posted on Truth Social on Sunday.
The announcement came as Trump faced widespread pushback on Capitol Hill over his move to allow Russia to export oil to the U.S. and world markets and his sharply critical remarks about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. On Sunday afternoon, a group of Democratic and Republican senators issued a joint statement calling the export plan a violation of a 2022 law that banned Russian energy imports into the U.S.
The Kremlin didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump's ceasefire claim. Russian President Vladimir Putin has so far rebuffed proposals for an energy ceasefire. Trump previously announced such a ceasefire on Sept. 14, but Russia and Ukraine continued their strikes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated on Sunday that he is open to halting airstrikes on Russian oil refineries if Moscow stops bombing Ukraine's energy grid, but he has rejected Trump's pressure for Kyiv to cease its strikes unilaterally.
"Ukraine supports the ceasefire, and it is important that Russia support it as well. We are awaiting details from the American side," Zelensky said in a social-media post on Sunday after a call with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Democrats and some Republicans have objected to Trump's latest moves.
The U.S. "should not provide Putin with a financial lifeline while Russia continues to kill Ukrainian civilians. The administration must immediately reverse course," a bipartisan group of senators said in a statement on Sunday. The group comprises Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, John Curtis of Utah and Tom Tillis of North Carolina; and Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.
The senators said the administration failed to consult with Congress or submit the justification required under the 2022 law barring Russian energy imports to the U.S.
The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on the senators' statement.
Russia continued to bomb Ukraine'ss energy grid and other targets in Kyiv on Sunday, with explosions audible throughout the day and power cuts continuing.
French President Emmanuel Macron, expressing support for an energy truce in a post on X, said: "At this stage, Russia continues to refuse it by intensifying its strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure in recent hours."
Trump's statement came after he lambasted Zelensky on Saturday, calling for his removal as Ukrainian leader and blaming him for Russia's continuing war on Ukraine -- as well as for pushing up fuel prices, which have risen globally since the U.S.-Iran war disrupted Middle East energy exports.
Trump's Republicans are facing the risk of significant electoral losses in the Nov. 3 congressional midterm elections, opinion polls suggest, with high gasoline and diesel prices contributing to voter discontent.
With no end to the conflict with Iran in sight, Trump has presented Russia as part of the solution, announcing a deal with Putin on Friday to boost the supply of Russian diesel to the U.S. and world markets. Energy experts say the deal, if implemented, could benefit the Kremlin's coffers but is unlikely to provide significant relief to global energy markets.
"Our president is trying to find every answer possible," said Rep. Tom Emmer (R., Minn.) on ABC News on Sunday, defending the deal on Russian diesel.
Democrats saw it as a last-ditch effort to bring down prices ahead of the election.
"Literally, Trump has made a deal with the devil. He will do anything for Republicans to win" the midterms, said Rep. Donald Norcross (D., N.J.) on X.
Russia has been planning to resume exports of diesel anyway, said Janis Kluge, head of Eastern Europe research at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, a think tank in Berlin. "There was no concession from Putin in this deal," he said.
Extra Russian diesel is unlikely to relieve the stress in global fuel markets. "The Middle East is much more important," he said.
Trump's comments in recent days have shown the limits of U.S. leverage in the war between Russia and Ukraine, as Europe, rather than the U.S., has become the mainstay of support for Kyiv's defense against Moscow's invasion.
Ukraine has greatly expanded its domestic production of drones and other weaponry, while relying on European allies for financing and military aid. Trump has ended nearly all U.S. aid for Ukraine's defense, but the U.S. continues to share valuable satellite and other intelligence with Kyiv.
"The Ukrainians still see the U.S. as a critical ally, but they've gotten themselves to a point, especially through their partnerships with Europe, where they cannot be crippled by the Trump administration's policy swings," said Shelby Magid, a deputy director at the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank.
Bombing Russian refineries is the strongest card that Ukraine holds to force Putin to stop the war he launched nearly five years ago. Kyiv intends to keep playing it, Ukrainian officials have said in recent days -- unless Putin changes tack and accepts a mutual moratorium on energy strikes.
Russia is bombarding Ukraine's energy infrastructure with missiles and drones in an attempt to cut off heating, electricity, water and other essential services in Ukrainian cities ahead of winter.
In the past week, Russia has attacked Ukraine's electricity system 196 times and its oil and gas infrastructure 20 times, Zelensky said in an interview with ABC News broadcast on Sunday. Russia's missile and drone strikes on cities have also killed 153 people over that period, he said.
"It's a signal that Russia doesn't feel real pressure. They want to continue," Zelensky said. "If they want [an] energy ceasefire, we are open for this."