{"text":[[{"start":9.88,"text":"Oil prices were volatile in early trading on Monday after Donald Trump claimed that Russia and Ukraine had entered an “energy ceasefire”, as the US president strains to bring down fuel costs ahead of midterm elections."}],[{"start":22.22,"text":"Brent crude, the international benchmark, dropped as much as 2.3 per cent before recovering to trade down 0.1 per cent at $104.68."}],[{"start":33.84,"text":"The volatile trading came after Trump said on Sunday there had been an “energy ceasefire” in the war in Ukraine."}],[{"start":39.56,"text":"“Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!”"}],[{"start":51.12,"text":"Despite the US president’s announcement, it was unclear if any “energy ceasefire” would take effect."}],[{"start":57.04,"text":"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that it was “important that it [the energy ceasefire] becomes a reality”, adding that Russian forces had attacked a power plant in Kharkiv that evening."}],[{"start":68.36,"text":"It was not immediately clear whether Russia had agreed to Trump’s deal."}],[{"start":71.86,"text":"The Trump administration has threatened to stop the procurement system that provides Ukraine with weapons to press Kyiv to halt its deep strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, the FT reported on Sunday."}],[{"start":83.84,"text":"The president’s social media post represents the latest US effort to bring down energy costs, which have rocketed as a result of wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. On Friday, Trump announced an agreement with Vladimir Putin for Russia to release diesel to global markets."}],[{"start":99.5,"text":"Diesel prices fell on Monday, with European diesel futures down 2.5 per cent in London at $1,445 a tonne. US heating oil futures, the country’s benchmark for diesel prices, were down 3 per cent to $4.60 a gallon."}],[{"start":116.08,"text":"High oil and diesel prices are hitting the popularity of Trump and his Republican Party ahead of US midterm elections in early November."}],[{"start":123.48,"text":"“Given the political-economic situation there is a lot of impetus to do more,” said Anthony Yuen, head of energy strategy at Citigroup, who noted that Republican-leaning districts “tend to consume more diesel”."}],[{"start":135.28,"text":"Wei Li, head of multi-asset investments at BNP Paribas Securities China, said optimism around the agreement with Putin had helped bring down US heating oil futures."}],[{"start":146.36,"text":"The declines come even after Houthi forces launched missile strikes on Riyadh’s international airport on Saturday."}],[{"start":153.28,"text":"The attack on the Saudi Arabian capital killed at least 12 people and injured more than 300. A second strike on Sunday killed one person and injured 11 others."}],[{"start":164.4,"text":"Houthi rebel forces in Yemen have been attacking neighbouring Saudi Arabia, which backs Yemen’s central government in a civil war that began in 2014."}],[{"start":173.66,"text":"Yuen added that last week’s resumption of Chinese refined oil product exports was adding further support to the fall in diesel prices. “The Chinese export volume could be on par with or larger than [the] Russian volume,” he said."}],[{"start":193.24,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1791790217_5784.mp3"}