Putin makes Trump look a fool as Russian missiles smash power plant hours after ceasefire plea

Russia has been accused of defying Donald Trump’s demand for an energy ceasefire after projectiles struck a thermal power plant in Ukraine just hours after the US president called on Moscow and Kyiv to stop attacking each other’s energy infrastructure.

The reported strike in Kharkiv raised immediate questions over whether the Kremlin intended to honour the proposed pause in hostilities, threatening to undermine Washington’s latest attempt to curb the economic and humanitarian costs of the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack occurred after Trump publicly demanded that both sides halt strikes on energy facilities.

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“And all of this happened AFTER the President of the United States made his statement about an energy ceasefire,” Zelensky said.

Trump had issued a blunt warning on his Truth Social platform, telling Russia and Ukraine: “Do not break it!”

But Zelensky said he had initially been unaware that any agreement had been reached, describing the announcement as “news for me”.

“If President Trump negotiated it with Putin, please tell us when the ceasefire begins — we are ready, and we will accept it,” he added.

At the time of the reports, Moscow had not publicly responded to Trump’s announcement, while attacks continued across Ukraine. Officials said at least three civilians had been killed in Kharkiv alone.

The incident threatens to expose the fragility of Trump’s efforts to secure even a limited pause in the fighting, with no clear public indication of when the proposed ceasefire would begin or how compliance would be monitored.

Reports also suggested the White House had threatened to cut off weapons supplies to Ukraine if Kyiv refused to accept the arrangement, with some accounts indicating intelligence support could also be withheld.

The pressure comes amid mounting friction between Trump and Zelensky over how to end the conflict and Washington’s approach to Vladimir Putin.

Zelensky recently criticised a deal announced by Trump to purchase 300,000 tonnes of Russian fuel, describing it as a “gift to Putin”. The US president has defended the arrangement as a means of easing energy price pressures.

Ukraine has continued to target Russian oil refineries with drone strikes, disrupting Moscow’s energy exports and placing pressure on a key source of revenue for the Kremlin. Trump has become increasingly frustrated with the attacks and demanded that Kyiv halt them.

“He better damn well stop,” Trump told reporters, referring to Zelensky’s campaign against Russian oil infrastructure.

“I suggest they [Ukraine] get a new leader who can make a deal.”

The remarks have heightened concerns in Kyiv that Washington could increasingly direct its pressure towards Ukraine rather than Russia, despite Moscow’s role as the invading power.

Britain, meanwhile, has reiterated its support for the Ukrainian government.

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting told the BBC that the UK “stands with President Zelensky”, rejecting suggestions that Ukraine’s leadership was responsible for prolonging the war.

“We are in no doubt that the aggressor here was Vladimir Putin. He is the person who chose to start this war,” Streeting said.

“He is the person who could end this war tomorrow, and he chooses not to. So, we stand with Ukraine.”

The reported strike puts Trump to the immediate test of his influence over the Kremlin. An energy ceasefire could offer civilians respite from attacks on essential infrastructure, but without clear terms and evidence of compliance, the latest initiative risks becoming another diplomatic announcement overtaken by events on the battlefield.