US president claims deal has been struck after furious bust-up with Volodymyr Zelensky over Russia row
Donald Trump claimed Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a ceasefire. (Image: Getty)
Donald Trump has claimed that Russia and Ukraine have reached an “energy ceasefire” amid a row with Volodymyr Zelensky over an oil deal with Moscow. The US president took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to announce and warn both countries not to breach the agreement.
He wrote: “Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
He did not give any further details. The Ukrainian president said it was “news for me” but that Ukraine would agree if Russia did, according to news site Axios.
He said: “This is good news for everyone – and it is important that it become reality. Ukraine supports all genuine and reliable formats for a ceasefire and an end to the war.
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“Ukraine is ready to refrain from striking Russian energy infrastructure – and we count on the same readiness from Russia, as well as on the agreement reached by the President of the United States on this matter.”
In another interview with US broadcaster ABC, Mr Zelensky said he was willing to organise elections in Ukraine if Russia stuck to a 60-day ceasefire.
Hours after the announcement, he accused Russia of striking the CHPP-5 power plant in Kharkiv. “In total, over this week alone, the Russians have launched more than 200 strikes on our electricity generation and transmission facilities in Ukraine,” he said.
This comes after Mr Trump said it was “time for Ukraine to get a new president” after Mr Zelensky objected to the US deal announced on Friday to obtain millions of tonnes of diesel from Russia, saying it would extend the war.
Andy Burnham has reiterated his “complete solidarity”, with the Ukrainian leader and plans to meet the British Prime Minister in person in the coming days.
Mr Trump is under pressure to bring down fuel prices ahead of November’s midterm elections that will decide control of Congress.
Diesel prices have rocketed in recent months because of the disruption to global supplies caused by the US-Israel war against Iran and the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting told Sky News on Sunday morning: “Let’s be candid about this: midterms are coming up, cost of living is an issue.
“No doubt President Trump is feeling the same pressure that lots of leaders are facing in terms of wanting to ease cost-of-living pressures, energy prices.”
Mr Streeting also sought to downplay the effect of the move on US support for Ukraine, saying people should not “overstate the impact”.
He told the BBC: “We actually do a lot of procurement with and through the United States to support Ukraine with things like missile defences. There is clearly a big effort being led by the United States on the diplomatic track.
“So, let’s not overstate the impact of President Trump’s decision on purchasing oil from Russia, and let’s not also understate US support for Ukraine.”
Nigel Farage announces bombshell deportation plan for Afghan and Palestinian migrants
Nigel Farage will announce hardline migration plans next week.
Nigel Farage announces bombshell deportation plan for Afghan and Palestinian migrants (Image: Getty)
Reform UK said it will deport anyone who arrived under Shabana Mahmood’s refugee resettlement scheme if the party is elected. Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, said he will “immediately end” the scheme when he announces the policy next Monday, along with several other immigration plans. The Home Secretary reopened the UK Resettlement Scheme for new referrals on September 28, to provide “genuine refugees a safe and legal route to the UK”. Around a quarter of referrals will be for Afghan women and girls and Palestinian refugees, fleeing war and persecution, Labour said.
However, speaking to The Telegraph ahead of his speech, Mr Farage said: “Britain is not obligated to take in more migrants, and under a Reform government, these people will not be able to stay.” His severe plans will also revoke residents’ right to remain if they are not considered to be in danger in their home country.
Nations from across the world would be affected. Migration Observatory estimates suggest between 622,000 and 820,000 non-EU citizens had settlement status at the end of 2024, which did not include the approximately 4million EU citizens who were living in the UK before January 2021, and hold settled or pre-settled status.
Mr Farage will also announce a review of Britain’s Afghan resettlement schemes and pledge to publish their costs next week. This was designed to resettle Afghan citizens who worked for or with the UK Government in exposed roles, as well as vulnerable individuals.
Reform has also escalated plans first announced in February for Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, Eritrea, Sudan and Somalia. Mr Farage said Reform would impose tariffs on the countries if they refused to take back illegal immigrants and foreign criminals residing in the UK, speaking to The Times.
The party originally planned to impose strict visa bans for people legally seeking to visit the UK from these countries. Reform said it believes that tariffs may be more effective. The proposed list includes several of the countries with the largest numbers of asylum seekers in the UK in recent years.
Reform has plummeted in popularity after controversy surrounding its funding (Image: Getty)
The party will also conduct an audit of migration figures and publish a detailed breakdown of the number of people who have arrived in Britain since 2010, by nationality and route of entry.
Channel crossings have fallen this year. They reached a peak of around 46,000 in 2022. In the year ending June 2026, the number of detected arrivals fell to around 33,000.
Support for Reform has plummeted amid controversy over the party’s funding and a recovery in Labour’s popularity thanks to Andy Burnham’s arrival at Number 10. The party has fallen to second place in most polls, its lowest rating since December 2024.
