Contacts continue on Ukraine energy truce: Kremlin

Moscow The Kremlin said on Monday that it had no new information to share about a proposed energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, even as contacts on the issue continued. Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a regular media briefing that discussions were ongoing. He said the Kremlin would provide information once there was something concrete to announce, according to Russia’s state news agency TASS. Peskov declined to clarify whether the proposed truce would cover only oil refineries or extend to other energy facilities. He also did not identify the parties involved in the discussions. The Kremlin’s statement followed an announcement by US President Donald Trump on Sunday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an immediate ceasefire covering energy infrastructure. Trump announced the agreement on his Truth Social platform, saying both sides had agreed to stop attacking each other’s energy facilities. The White House subsequently repeated the announcement on its official X account. However, Trump did not provide details about when the agreement was reached, which facilities would be covered, how long the arrangement would remain in force or how compliance would be monitored. Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly targeted each other’s energy infrastructure since the conflict began in February 2022. Attacks on power plants, oil facilities and other energy installations have affected energy supplies and raised concerns about the wider economic consequences of the war. Peskov also criticised European countries while commenting on efforts to resolve the conflict. He claimed that European governments were not part of what he described as the “party of peace” and accused them of taking positions that, in Russia’s view, were preventing the war from ending. His remarks reflected continuing differences between Moscow and European governments over how the conflict should be resolved. The Kremlin’s latest comments left the status and scope of the proposed energy truce unclear, with further details awaited from the parties involved.