A 30-day pause on Russian attacks targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has come to an end, as announced by the Kremlin on Friday. This brief cessation was introduced following a conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump.
“A month has indeed passed,” said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov during a press briefing. “At this moment, there are no further instructions from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, President Putin.”
The moratorium was declared on March 18 and was one of the few tangible results from Trump’s attempts to facilitate a ceasefire in the ongoing three-year conflict.
Just a week later, American officials met separately with representatives from both Russia and Ukraine in Saudi Arabia. Following these discussions, the White House revealed that both parties had agreed to “develop measures” aimed at enforcing an agreement to cease attacks on each other’s energy facilities.
Nevertheless, no official accord was established, and the specifics regarding when these commitments would take effect remain ambiguous. Throughout the past month, both sides have accused one another of striking energy sites.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the temporary truce as insincere, asserting that Russia had no genuine intention to halt its attacks “despite Putin’s claims.”
The conclusion of the moratorium raises apprehensions that Russia may resume its systematic assaults on Ukraine’s power grid as winter approaches.
Reporting by AFP contributed to this coverage.