- U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that Russia and Ukraine agreed to a ceasefire he announced on Oct. 11 is unproven. Ukraine said it had no knowledge of such an agreement, and Russia didn’t comment.
- The claim stemmed from a post on Truth Social in which Trump wrote: “Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!” Later, in response to questions about Ukraine and Russia agreeing to it, Trump said, “They agreed because I said they agreed.”
- Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy told Axios the ceasefire was “news” to him but he would support it if Russia agreed to follow it. Russia didn’t comment either way, saying “contacts are ongoing.” However, Ukraine accused Russia of attacking its energy facilities on the very same day.
- Snopes will update this report if additional information surfaces. Snopes has reached out to the Russian Foreign Ministry and will update this post accordingly.
On Oct. 11 U.S. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that Ukraine and Russia had “agreed” to an “energy ceasefire” in their war. Such an agreement would means neither country would attack the other’s energy sites.
The ceasefire appeared to be news to Ukraine and Russia, however, with Trump unable to provide any evidence that the two countries had actually reached such an agreement.
Numerous posts claimed Trump had not actually managed to get the countries to agree. When a reporter pointed out to Trump that both sides said they had not agreed, Trump replied: “Well, they agreed. You know why? Because I said, ‘You agree.’ That’s why.”
It wasn’t clear whether Russia had or hadn’t agreed to a ceasefire before Trump’s announcement, but news reports stated that Russia violated the ceasefire shortly after. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he didn’t know about the supposed ceasefire agreement beforehand but would support it only if Russia agreed to follow it.
“Even after yesterday’s messages from [Trump] … Putin attacked our gas infrastructure,” Zelenskyy told Fox News. “When we speak about energy ceasefire, it means only one thing: that they don’t attack our energy infrastructure and we don’t respond on their energy infrastructure.”
Snopes reached out to the Russian Foreign Ministry to seek comment on Trump’s announcement and a response to Ukraine’s accusations that Russia violated the ceasefire. We will update this story as we get more information. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the media on Oct. 12 that “contacts are ongoing.”
Snopes has covered a great deal of misinformation about the Russia-Ukraine war since Russia invaded the former Soviet republic on Feb. 22, 2022.
Sources
Kremlin Relishes in U.S.-Russia Diesel Deal and Trump’s Criticism of Zelenskyy. The Associated Press, 12 Oct. 2026, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/world/kremlin-relishes-in-u-s-russia-diesel-deal-and-trumps-criticism-of-zelenskyy. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.
Kullab, Samya. “Zelenskyy Says Russia Strikes Energy Facilities despite Trump Claim of an Energy Ceasefire.” The Associated Press, 12 Oct. 2026, https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-energy-strikes-trump-ceasefire-6fdef6ff4d033b379c74e1d62183d078. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.
Lee, Jessica. “Ukraine War 2-Year Anniversary: Looking Back on Viral Misinformation.” Snopes, 24 Feb. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//collections/ukraine-russia-war-anniversary/. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.
“President Trump Gaggles with Press Upon Departure from the White House, Oct. 12, 2026 .” YouTube, The White House, 12 Oct. 2026, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEWlaWY9Qcs. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.
Ravid, Barak. “Trump Claims Russia and Ukraine Agree to Energy Ceasefire.” Axios, 11 Oct. 2026, https://www.axios.com/2026/10/11/trump-russia-ukraine-energy-ceasefire-zelensky. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.
Siddiqui, Usaid. “‘Energy Ceasefire’: What’s behind Trump’s Love-Hate Ties to Russian Oil?” Al Jazeera, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/12/energy-ceasefire-whats-behind-trumps-love-hate-ties-to-russian-oil. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.
