Donald Trump claims Ukraine and Russia have agreed to ‘energy ceasefire’ – live updates

Donald Trump’s call for Zelenskyy to make way for a new Ukrainian leader drew criticism from his own party.

Don Bacon, a Republican Nebraska congressman and former military officer, suggested Trump was not fit to lead.

Reacting to Trump’s statement that “it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president’”, Bacon wrote on: “We need a president who is up to the task of leading the free world.”

The latest acrimonious row between Washington and Kyiv began on Friday when Trump announced he was lifting sanctions on Russian diesel exports. He said the move would reduce global and domestic fuel prices before next month’s US midterm elections.

A furious Zelenskyy called the decision “weak” and said it would generate “billions” in extra revenue for Putin, enabling him to wage war “even more intensely”. An equally irate Trump warned that Zelenskyy should “damn well stop” hitting Russian refineries. Ukraine needed a “new leader”, he said on Saturday.

Responding to Trump, Zelenskyy said it was up to Ukraine’s society to chose “one or another leader”. He told ABC News he was willing to bow down to US demands and to organise elections, but only if Putin agreed to a “total” sixty-day ceasefire.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy ⁠has said the “energy ceasefire” was news to him.

He told the news outlet ⁠Axios ​that he was not aware of ⁠an “energy ceasefire” between Ukraine and Russia announced by ​ ‌Donald Trump, but ‌added that if Moscow ‌agreed to such a ceasefire, Kyiv would accept it.

“The ceasefire announcement was news for ‌me. But if Russians agree to an energy ​ceasefire Ukraine will agree. If president Trump negotiated it with ⁠Putin — please tell us ​when ​the ceasefire begins — we ​are ready and ​we ‌will ​accept ​it,” Zelenskiy was quoted as saying by Axios.

In his Truth Social post, Trump gave no further details. The US president had made a similar claim in September, which turned out to be untrue.

Ukraine’s government did not immediately comment on the US president’s latest statement, or confirm a deal had taken place.

Just hours before Donald Trump claimed the two sides had agreed a ceasefire on energy strikes, Volodymyr Zelenskyy rebuffed his demand that Ukraine stop bombing Russian oil refineries.

Zelenskyy demanded Moscow has to first halt its own “brutal” attacks on Ukraine and its energy infrastructure.

Ukraine’s president said any deal to end his country’s long-range drone strikes on targets inside Russia would have to be “reciprocal”. It should be backed by “real guarantees” – meaning punitive measures against Moscow from Ukraine’s allies, including the US.

Donald Trump has claimed Russia and Ukraine have agreed to an ”energy ceasefire”, though the US president gave no details of the purported agreement.

“Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!” he wrote on his Truth Social network.

Trump made the announcement on his Truth Social account shortly after Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, told ABC on Sunday that Ukraine was ready for a ceasefire, including on energy infrastructure.

This announcement follows Trump’s criticism of Zelenskyy for attacks on Russian diesel facilities, which he blames for global shortages.

Stick with us as we bring you the latest developments as we get them.