Zelenskyy: Ukraine Held Fire on Russian Energy Sites Overnight, but Russia Answered Trump’s Energy Truce With More Shahed Strikes

17.10.2026, 18:13 uatv.ua

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine did not attack any Russian energy facilities overnight because U.S. President Donald Trump had announced an energy truce between Ukraine and Russia. Russia, he said, kept striking Ukrainian gas stations and energy infrastructure and has effectively answered Trump with attacks. He spoke in an interview with Fox News and in remarks at the Warsaw Security Forum, UATV English reports.

“We did not attack any energy facilities in Russia last night because President Trump said there would be an energy truce between Ukraine and Russia. We didn’t attack while Russia was hitting our gas stations, our energy infrastructure and other facilities,” Zelenskyy told Fox News.

He said the signals from Moscow were unambiguous.

“I think this was Putin’s answer to President Trump. And the signals from Russia were very clear: they know nothing about an energy truce. It’s a pity, because they always find reasons not to stop this war. That is why I believe there needs to be more pressure on Russia,” he said.

Zelenskyy added that Ukraine never discloses what it plans to do next in its operations.

Warsaw Security Forum. Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s offer is clear and fair: Kyiv will observe an energy truce if Russia does the same, and it has already shown this is more than words.

“Overnight, refineries in Russia were not burning. But at midnight, a Russian jet-powered Shahed hit a gas production facility in Ukraine. There was also a Russian strike on an ordinary gas station with several drones. And repair crews are still working to eliminate the damage from yesterday’s attacks,” Zelenskyy said.

He said Russia had therefore violated the energy truce announced by Trump, and that new jet-powered Shaheds kept entering Ukrainian airspace over Kyiv and other cities throughout the morning.

“For now, this is Putin’s answer to Trump: Russian attacks. But we are waiting. We are waiting for the details of the conversation between the Americans and the Russians. We are waiting to see what specific steps the Americans are ready to take,” he said.

Data centers and online bots. Zelenskyy said that after Ukraine began responding to Russian operations against its data centers, and its strikes reached Yandex data centers, many social media platforms suddenly became easier to breathe on.

“There was less hatred, less hostility and fewer provocations, because there were fewer bots. And it is quite clear where these bots came from, if they disappeared when Yandex stopped working. This proves again and again that the source of the problems is not Europe,” he said.

He said the most important thing is for people in America to see what is happening, every morning, as the day in Europe is ending.

“To see the truth,” Zelenskyy said.

The remarks come after Zelenskyy proposed a “diesel deal” with Washington, under which Ukraine would refrain from striking Russian diesel infrastructure in exchange for protection of its power grid. On Sunday, he said Russia had hit a Kyiv power plant and energy facilities in Kharkiv region after Trump’s announcement of an energy ceasefire.

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