Kathrine Frich
Moscow had an unusual excuse ready.
Public promises of peace often collide with the messy reality on the ground. In international diplomacy, a handshake or a bold announcement from Washington is only the beginning.
The real test starts when the paperwork is supposed to arrive, and one side claims the mailbox is empty.
Missing the fine print
According to United24 Media, the Kremlin is pushing back against claims that it broke a new energy truce with Ukraine. US President Donald Trump recently announced the pause in fighting, which was meant to protect power plants and oil sites across both nations.
By Wednesday Moscow had an unusual excuse ready. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian state media that his government cannot break a deal when it does not even know the rules yet.
“The energy ceasefire proposed by Trump has not been specified, so it cannot be claimed that Russia is failing to comply with it,” Peskov said, according to the Russian Telegram channel Vy slushali. Even so, the official noted that “work in this direction is ongoing.”
Missiles over Kyiv
In Kyiv, leaders see a very different picture. U24 Media reports that Ukrainian officials are accusing Russian forces of ignoring Trump’s plan and blasting their power grid anyway.
On October 13, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pointed out that his military held its fire after Washington stepped in, while Moscow kept attacking civilian targets.
“Ukraine has not carried out strikes on Russian oil refineries or the energy sector in general for the two days since the American President announced an energy ceasefire. But Russia did not heed the American President,” Zelenskyy stated.
Heating plants hit
Those warnings turned into a harsh reality on October 14 during a massive Russian missile barrage. According to Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi, ballistic missiles slammed into energy sites in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and the surrounding Kharkiv region.
In the capital, the strikes hit all three of the city’s combined heat and power plants, which generate both electricity and hot water for residents. Other missiles damaged key power stations in the wider Kyiv region that keep the lights on across central Ukraine.
For millions of ordinary people facing the autumn chill, the diplomatic debate over paperwork means very little when the heat goes out.
