MOSCOW: The Kremlin said on Friday that President Vladimir Putin’s order not to strike energy targets in Ukraine was still in force, despite Kyiv accusing Moscow of breaking it several times.
A Russian energy facility near the border with Ukraine that used to pump gas to Europe was set ablaze overnight in an attack both Moscow and Kyiv blamed on each other.
“Everyone can see how much we can trust the word of Zelensky and the word of other representatives of the Kyiv regime,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“The Supreme Commander-in-Chief’s order is in force and the Russian armed forces are refraining from strikes on energy facilities,” he added, referring to Putin.
Putin ordered a limited, 30-day pause on strikes targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure on Tuesday, following a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that Moscow was continuing to hit energy facilities anyway and that nothing had changed, “despite Putin’s words”.
Delegations from both sides are set to meet US officials in Saudi Arabia on Monday.
Trump has said he can end the three-year war.
