The US threatens to halt arms supplies to Kyiv, but the details of the agreement with Russia remain a mystery

Following Donald Trump’s bombastic announcement that the US and Russia had signed an agreement to halt attacks on energy infrastructure in Ukraine, a chill and an air of mystery have descended upon the deal. There has been no confirmation yet from Russia, and the American website Axios has reported that no such agreement was reached. Russia has not, as yet, agreed to any ceasefire: Donald Trump’s announcement of an ‘energy truce’ referred to a possible agreement involving both sides ceasing attacks on refineries, a White House official told Axios, emphasising that if attacks on refineries cease, an agreement to halt actions against power stations and energy networks could follow.

According to Axios, the ‘refinery-by-refinery’ proposal Trump referred to in his post on his social media platform Truth is ‘unbalanced’ because Ukraine has only one oil refinery, which has been attacked several times by the Russians and is not fully operational. Russia, on the other hand, has a vast network of refineries. ‘Trump appears to be trying to bring about a partial ceasefire by relying on his own will. For the time being, however, Russia has not accepted any form of ceasefire, whilst Ukraine is calling for one that prohibits attacks on power stations,” says Axios. The White House has warned that Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries are damaging relations between Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump. The president “is furious. He thinks Zelensky is taking America for granted,” said an official.

Hours after President Trump’s announcement of a truce in attacks on energy infrastructure between Russia and Ukraine, Moscow remains silent. Indeed, the TASS news agency does not include the tycoon’s announcement in its daily news round-up on the ‘special operation’, that is, the war in Ukraine. The tycoon had already announced a similar agreement in mid-September, which evidently has not been officially confirmed, particularly on the ground.

The United States, on the other hand, is reportedly threatening to cut off the supply chain providing weapons to Ukraine, in an attempt to pressure Kyiv into suspending deep strikes against Russian energy infrastructure, the Financial Times reported on Sunday, citing European officials. According to the article, the officials – who received phone calls from US representatives or were briefed on the matter – said that the US is putting pressure on European capitals and Kyiv to try to put an end to attacks on Russian oil refineries. Reuters sought comment from the White House, which did not respond.

The message from the United States included a threat to halt the sharing of intelligence and the PURL (Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List) mechanism, used for the procurement of US weapons for Ukraine, the report adds. “They’re calling Kyiv... They’re calling everyone [in Europe]’, said an official who received a phone call from a US defence representative, according to the article. The news comes after President Trump made a surprise announcement on Sunday of an energy truce between Russia and Ukraine – which he said would take effect ‘immediately’ – although Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky stated that he was still awaiting details of the agreement. “With immediate effect, there is an ENERGY TRUCE in the war between Russia and Ukraine. Both sides have agreed. Do not violate it!” Trump had written.