Russia has issued a warning that it may withdraw from a US-brokered moratorium on striking each other’s energy infrastructure with Ukraine, citing continued attacks by Ukraine on such targets. This moratorium, announced by the US on Tuesday, aimed to pause strikes on energy targets, potentially paving the way for a full ceasefire and peace talks to end the three-year war.
The Kremlin’s patience with the moratorium appears to be wearing thin, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov stating that Russia reserves the right to withdraw if Ukraine continues to disregard the agreement. Peskov emphasized the illogic of Russia complying with the moratorium while facing nightly attempts to strike its energy infrastructure facilities.
Despite this, Russia will continue to respect the moratorium for now, even as Ukraine accuses Moscow of violating the agreement. The situation remains tense, with both sides accusing each other of attacking a Russian gas metering station in the western Kursk region.
In a separate development, President Vladimir Putin has proposed placing Ukraine under temporary administration to facilitate new elections and a settlement to the war. However, this idea has been met with outrage in Kyiv. Peskov clarified that Putin had not discussed this proposal with US President Donald Trump in previous phone conversations, and that it was based on concerns about the growing strength of armed nationalist forces in Ukraine.
