Putin Snubs Trump's Energy Ceasefire as Russia Readies Winter Bombing Campaign Against Ukraine

KYIV/MOSCOW/WASHINGTON: Hopes for a pause in the Russia-Ukraine war dimmed this week. Hours after President Donald Trump's surprise Sunday announcement of an energy ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow, Russia bombed a series of Ukrainian power plants.

Analysts at the Atlantic Council called the strikes a very public snub. They said it underlines the Kremlin's lack of interest in U.S.-led peace efforts and Vladimir Putin's determination to escalate the invasion.

Trump: "A Lot of Hatred"

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump said both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy want the war to end. But he added that "there is a lot of hatred between the two of them" and they "don't know how to get there," Reuters reported. He also said the United States is still sharing intelligence with Ukraine.

Europe Recoils From Diesel Deal

Trump also defended a U.S. agreement with Russia involving diesel fuel. The deal has alarmed allies. According to The New York Times, officials in Britain and across Europe have been shocked by the agreement, and Ukraine has called it "a gift" to Putin. European governments have been trying to close ranks in response, worried that the deal could weaken pressure on Moscow's war economy.

Bracing for a Brutal Winter

Kyiv fears the most intense phase of Russia's bombing campaign is still ahead, as winter freezes set in. In early October, Zelenskyy warned that Russia had stockpiled as many as 700 ballistic missiles for winter attacks. Russia is also using a new generation of jet-powered drones that are much harder to shoot down than older models. Recent missile strikes forced Ukraine's largest steel plants to shut down.

With little prospect of a decisive military victory, analysts say Moscow is trying to break Ukrainian resistance by undermining the basis of civilian life.

Fighting on the Front

On the battlefield, more than four years of heavy fighting have failed to deliver Russia a decisive breakthrough. Ukrainian forces have regained territory in parts of the Donetsk region through an offensive known as Operation Vivaldi. The operation has been credited with stalling Russian efforts to encircle the fortress belt of Ukrainian cities in the northern Donbas.

For now, a lasting peace looks distant. Ukrainian civilians face another dark, cold winter under fire.

Sources: Reuters, The New York Times, Atlantic Council, BBC, October 2026.