Zelenskyy accuses Putin of defying Trump's ceasefire push, sends pointed message to White House

close Video Zelenskyy backs Trump's energy ceasefire, calls for 'more pressure' on Russia Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joins 'America's Newsroom' to express his support for President Donald Trump's energy ceasefire, calling it a 'good first step' toward ending the war. NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Hören Sie sich diesen Artikel an 8 Min Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Fox News on Monday that Russia continued attacking Ukraine's energy infrastructure despite President Donald Trump's announcement of what he called an immediate energy ceasefire, accusing Vladimir Putin of rejecting Washington's peace efforts and calling for greater pressure on Moscow. "We are ready today for energy ceasefire, as President Trump said. But I'm not sure that Putin is ready because even after yesterday's messages from the president about energy ceasefire, Putin attacked our gas infrastructure," Zelenskyy told Bill Hemmer in a live interview on "America's Newsroom." Asked whether Ukraine would honor the ceasefire, Zelenskyy answered, "Of course," insisting that Kyiv had already refrained from striking Russian energy facilities overnight. TRUMP ANNOUNCES IMMEDIATE energy ceasefire BETWEEN Russia AND Ukraine A family walks past an apartment building that was hit by a Russian drone, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine, October 12, 2026. (Thomas Peter/Reuters) "We didn't attack any energy objects on the territory of Russia because President Trump said that there will be an energy ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. And we didn't attack, but Russia attacked our gas stations, energy infrastructure, infrastructure and other things," he said. The Ukrainian leader described the attacks as Putin's response to Trump's initiative. "It was his answer to President Trump. He attacked our energy infrastructure," Zelenskyy said. "The communication from Russia was very clear that they don't know anything about energy ceasefire." Trump announced Sunday on Truth Social that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an immediate halt to attacks on energy facilities. But Moscow has not confirmed accepting such an agreement, and the precise scope of Trump's proposal remains disputed. According to Axios reporting Sunday, a White House official said the proposal initially focused on halting attacks on oil refineries, with a broader ceasefire covering power plants and electricity grids potentially following. The official acknowledged that Russia had not yet agreed. Ukraine STRIKES DEEP INTO Russia’S ARCTIC GAS HEARTLAND AS TRUMP PUSHES PUTIN TOWARD PEACE Firefighters work at the site of an apartment building damaged during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on October 12, 2026. (Sofiia Gatilova/Reuters) During the interview, Hemmer pressed Zelenskyy on whether Ukraine would halt attacks on Russia's extensive oil-refining network, which has become a point of contention between Washington and Kyiv amid rising global fuel prices. Zelenskyy argued that a ceasefire limited to refineries would fail to address Ukraine's greatest vulnerability: its electricity supply. "When we speak about energy ceasefire, it means only one thing: that they don't attack our energy infrastructure, and we don't respond to their energy infrastructure. This is called energy ceasefire." Asked again whether Ukrainian forces would refrain from targeting Russian refineries, Zelenskyy gave a conditional commitment. "If Russia will not attack our energy, we will not attack the energy," he said. Trump has repeatedly criticized Ukraine's attacks on Russian oil refineries, arguing that they contribute to higher fuel prices. On Friday, he announced an agreement with Russia to release diesel supplies to the U.S. and global markets, a decision that drew criticism from lawmakers concerned about providing Moscow with additional revenue. Zelenskyy challenged Trump's assessment of what is driving diesel prices, pointing instead to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. "Everybody understands that the price on diesel doesn't depend on our attacks on diesel in Russia," Zelenskyy told Hemmer. "Everybody understands that it depends on the blocking of Hormuz Strait." NEW RISK FOR US CONSUMERS AS IRAN-BACKED ATTACKS THREATEN A SECOND MAJOR OIL CHOKEPOINT A rescuer takes shelter at the entrance of an apartment building amid the threat of another Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on October 12, 2026. (Sofiia Gatilova/Reuters) The interview also exposed tensions over Trump's calls for Ukraine to hold new presidential elections. Over the weekend, Trump criticized Zelenskyy and suggested Ukraine needed a new president, arguing that Kyiv had missed opportunities to reach a negotiated settlement with Russia. "If President Trump wants to change the leader in Ukraine, he has to know that only our people can change," Zelenskyy responded. The Ukrainian president said he was willing to organize an election but argued that voting remained impossible without a substantial pause in hostilities. "I'm ready for elections. Really, we need a minimum 60 days for security of infrastructure to prepare for elections," he said. Zelenskyy described continuing Russian drone and missile attacks as an immediate threat to voters. "We are speaking about thousands of drones, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, how can people vote?" he asked. "It's not even about the law. The law is very important. But we speak first of all about security." He also said he last spoke directly with Trump in New York during the U.N. General Assembly in late September. ZELENSKYY TO SEEK OFFRAMP FOR YEARS-LONG Russia WAR IN UN SPEECH AFTER TRUMP REVEALS PEACE DEAL IS CLOSE President Donald Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy shake hands as they meet on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City in this handout released September 22, 2026. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters) Russian attacks continue as Moscow resists ceasefire The interview came after another series of Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities and residential areas. Ukraine's charge d'affaires in Washington, Denys Sienik, said Sunday that Russian forces struck a power plant in Kyiv, disrupting electricity and water supplies, before attacking a thermal power plant in Kharkiv following Trump's announcement. "In total, over the course of the week, Russia struck electricity generation and transmission facilities more than 200 times," Sienik wrote on X on Oct. 11, 2026. East2West News agency reported Monday that three civilians — a 16-year-old boy and two women, ages 19 and 51 — were killed in a strike near a grocery store in the Kharkiv region. The agency also reported that five people were wounded in an attack on a residential high-rise. In Pisochyn, a woman described witnessing the bombardment of a power plant shortly after Trump's announcement, according to East2West. "We believed the statement that they wouldn't strike energy infrastructure," she said. "Just ten minutes after that promise was made, there were already five strikes." The agency also reported a Ukrainian strike on a Russian military base in occupied Khrustalnyi, in the Luhansk region, where three large fires were reportedly visible. The damage and casualty figures could not be independently confirmed. Reuters separately reported Monday that Russia continued striking Ukrainian energy targets despite Trump's announcement, while Kyiv maintained that it had refrained from attacking Russian refineries. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, meanwhile, rejected the prospect of a 60-day ceasefire to facilitate Ukrainian elections, arguing that European countries would use the pause to replenish Ukraine's weapons supplies. "I don't think he deserves a respite," Lavrov said Monday, according to the BBC. Ukraine'S ATTACKS ON Russia ARE PUSHING PUTIN CLOSER TO NEGOTIATING TABLE, TRUMP NATO AMBASSADOR SAYS Plumes of smoke rise from fires at an oil refinery following what authorities said was a Ukrainian drone strike during the Russia-Ukraine conflict in Moscow, Russia, on Sept. 20, 2026. (REUTERS/Stringer) The latest developments have intensified scrutiny of Trump's decision to ease restrictions on Russian diesel, which critics argue could provide Moscow with additional revenue while it continues its military campaign. Carrie Filipetti, executive director of the Vandenberg Coalition and a former deputy assistant secretary of state during Trump's first administration, questioned whether the arrangement would undermine U.S. leverage over Putin. "Both Russia and Ukraine seemed surprised by the announcement of an energy ceasefire, and unsurprisingly, Russia has continued to attack Ukrainian energy facilities — reportedly as recently as a few hours ago," Filipetti told Fox News Digital. "Putin probably hopes the new diesel deal — which directly undermines recent US legislation calling for an increase in tariffs and sanctions against Russian energy — will discourage President Trump from holding Putin accountable for these continued violations and attacks." Filipetti argued that Russian energy revenue remains a critical source of financing for Moscow's war effort. "If we want a real ceasefire, paying directly for Putin's war machine through this new diesel deal is not the way to do it," she said. "President Trump's goal of a ceasefire could be a real win — but it's only going to happen if we stop the diesel deal." Morgan Murphy, former head of public diplomacy for the Special Presidential Envoy to Russia and Ukraine, offered a different assessment, defending Trump's efforts to secure a negotiated settlement. "President Trump has consistently prodded both sides toward the only realistic outcome — negotiation," Murphy told Fox News Digital. "Both sides are losing right now: Ukraine doesn’t have the combat power to retake seized land, and Russia is destroying its future demographics with every passing day." Murphy argued that prolonging the fighting would only deepen the human toll: "Trump is right to push for a ceasefire. An endless war of attrition benefits only the makers of weapons and coffins." In his Fox News interview, Zelenskyy also emphasized the human cost of the war, saying Russian strikes were killing between 20 and 30 civilians a day, a figure Fox News has not independently verified. "We want to end this war as quickly as possible," he said. "Ceasefire is a good first step from both sides. This is very important." Smoke and flames rise over Moscow on June 18, 2026, following a Ukrainian drone attack that hit the Kapotnya oil refinery and other targets in the Russian capital. (East2West) Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment but didn't receive a response in time for publication. Efrat (Effie) Lachter is a reporter for Fox News Digital with more than 15 years of experience covering conflict, global affairs, human rights and political accountability. She has directed and produced more than 200 documentary segments across more than 40 countries, documenting conflicts, humanitarian crises, corruption, human trafficking, gender-based violence and the human stories behind major world events. Lachter’s reporting has taken her into conflict zones and crisis areas across the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Africa. Her work has included uncovering human trafficking networks, revealing an ISIS underground torture prison in Syria, documenting the war in Ukraine and interviewing senior political figures and world leaders. She was also among the Western journalists who entered Russia after the war began to bring testimonies from Putin’s opposition. Lachter is the recipient of the 2022 Peres Center for Peace Award and was a 2023–2024 Knight-Wallace Journalism Fellow at the University of Michigan. She also won two Rockower Awards for Excellence in Reporting. She holds a bachelor's degree in communication and a master's degree in political science.