Russia strikes Kharkiv power plant after Trump announces energy ceasefire

Russia struck a thermal power plant in the city of Kharkiv, in eastern Ukraine, after President Trump announced an "energy ceasefire" between Ukraine and Russia, according to The Hill. A local official who spoke with ABC News said the plant was hit twice and was on fire, The Hill reported. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the attack, according to The Hill. The Hill reported the strike contradicted Trump's announcement earlier on 11 October that both countries had agreed to the ceasefire.

Trump announced the "energy ceasefire" on 11 October, The Hill reported. Politico Europe reported it is unclear what the two countries actually know about the ceasefire. Trump had earlier eased sanctions on Russia to cushion domestic pressure from rising oil prices, Politico Europe reported.

The deal would lift sanctions on Russia and permit the flow of its oil into the global economy, according to The Hill. The Hill reported the deal would have Russia "immediately release 300,000 tons of diesel to address concerns over rising energy costs due to the global fuel shortage." The Hill reported growing backlash against the deal on 11 October, before Trump announced the ceasefire.

A bipartisan group of seven lawmakers on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee condemned the deal, The Hill reported. The lawmakers said Congress explicitly banned Russian energy imports in 2022 to prevent American dollars from financing Putin, according to The Hill.

Politico Europe reported that after Zelensky criticized Trump over the sanctions easing, Trump said Ukraine needs a new president. EU foreign ministers were meeting in Luxembourg to negotiate a new sanctions package against Russia, Politico Europe reported.