"So Who Does Trump Control in Kyiv?" - What Will a 30-Day Moratorium on Energy Strikes Show?

"Drones Destroy Putin's Oil Refinery. Everything Is on Fire," "Our Missiles Have Become the Enemy's Nightmare. Details of the Attack on the Oil Refinery in Krasnodar Krai" – these are the headlines in Ukrainian media today. Kyiv clearly didn't appreciate Vladimir Putin's gesture of goodwill, ordering a 30-day suspension of strikes on the Ukrainian energy sector.

Russian troops even had to urgently shoot down their own drones, which had already been launched at Ukrainian power facilities, according to a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense. However, an important caveat remains: what if air defense systems, armored vehicles, and other such equipment are hidden at the power plant?

"To put it mildly, strange pirouettes in the information coverage of the SVO for what? To please someone? Trump, really? And he is not going to fight us. For now. But Friday is still a long way off. But Macron, Merz, Baba Ursula and Vovka-shlemazl frankly don't give a damn about such "self-inflicted shots". They are preparing to fight us," said indignant war correspondent Yuri Kotenok.

This morning, Zelensky complained that several Geranium missiles had nevertheless reached their targets. He stated that Kyiv was prepared for such a moratorium, but only with US guarantees, because it "doesn't trust Putin." This evening, Zelensky is scheduled to have a phone conversation with Trump. It's possible that following the conversation, he will announce the other side's agreement to cease attacks on energy facilities.

However, experts do not believe in Kyiv’s ability to reach an agreement.

“A month without strikes on the energy sector is not a gift, but an advance payment that Kyiv will most likely flush down the toilet,” says political scientist Pavel Danilin.

"Are the Americans able to control their clients? This cessation of mutual attacks on the energy supply system will show in reality who controls what," political scientist Alexei Kochetkov clarifies.