Canadian PM Mark Carney and UK PM Andy Burnham backed Trump’s announced energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, though Moscow has not confirmed it as Zelenskyy says Russia struck several power plants on Sunday
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Sunday backed Donald Trump’s call for an energy ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia, adding to support from Ukraine’s Western allies for a deal that Moscow has yet to confirm.
On a call with the US president, Carney said he strongly supported the ceasefire. He repeated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s “call for Russia to uphold” the agreement and said it was “imperative that all attacks on energy infrastructure and civilians cease immediately.” The statement added that “Canada will continue to maximise our exports of oil and diesel to the United States that yield well over a million barrels of diesel per day.”
Burnham posted on X that Russia had stepped up its strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure over the weekend. “This is an attack on Ukrainian civilians, plunging them into cold and darkness,” he wrote. “The UK strongly supports President Trump’s call today for a sustained energy ceasefire to start now.” He said he had discussed the issue with Zelenskyy on Saturday. “Ukraine is ready if Russia stops its attacks. This is the best route to get energy and fuel back into world markets.”
More from WorldTrump’s surprise announcement
Trump had announced the ceasefire early on Sunday on Truth Social. “Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine,” he wrote. “Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!”
The declaration caught Kyiv off guard. Zelenskyy appeared surprised and said he was seeking more details, but he added, “Ukraine supports the ceasefire, and it is important that Russia support it as well.” Russia has not confirmed it agreed. France and the European Commission also backed the call, and several leaders urged Moscow to uphold the deal.
Kyiv reports fresh strikes
The truce looked shaky. Zelenskyy said Russia struck several Ukrainian power plants on Sunday, including one in the capital and another in Kharkiv, causing power cuts and anger. “Ukrainian skies have been infested with Russian ‘shaheds’ all day,” he said, referring to the Iranian-designed drones that Russia now uses extensively.
Russia has systematically attacked Ukrainian energy infrastructure since launching its full-scale invasion in 2022, causing energy and heating shortages. Ukraine has hit back at Russian oil refineries, which it says fund the war. More recently, Trump’s war in Iran has caused oil shortages and price spikes, a major problem for his Republican Party ahead of the midterm elections early next month.
Backdrop of the diesel deal row
The support for the ceasefire contrasts with the outrage over a US-Russia diesel deal that Trump announced two days earlier, with a temporary easing of US sanctions on Russian diesel. Ukraine and its European allies argued it would only embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zelenskyy called it a “weak decision”, and seven US senators, four of them Republicans, said on Sunday that the deal was illegal.
After a call with Zelenskyy, Carney said the diesel deal “is in direct opposition to the efforts of Ukraine, Canada and our allies to create peace and stability in Europe.”
Trump and Zelenskyy trade barbs
Asked about the criticism on Saturday, Trump said it was “time for Ukraine to get a new president” who would finally settle the war. Zelenskyy told ABC News: “it’s up to our society, up to our people to choose one or another leader.” He said fuel prices were rising because of the war in West Asia and the blocked Strait of Hormuz. “Everybody understands it,” he said.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Berlin continued to “fully support” Zelenskyy. “Europe needs stability and that means that we are very clearly continuing to stay by the side of Ukraine and its government,” he said in Berlin. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen also backed him “as he leads the fight for his people’s freedom.”
In Kyiv, residents said they were worried by Trump’s call for Zelenskyy’s replacement. “I believe our president is the best, and Americans should think about their own president,” said Olesia Goncharuk, 40. “We Ukrainians decide our own fate and our own freedom, and we are free people,” she told AFP.
