The Kremlin on Wednesday declined to say whether a 30-day moratorium on strikes against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure would be extended, just hours before the pause was set to expire.
Ukraine and Russia have technically agreed to implement a ceasefire against each other’s energy infrastructure, though in practice, there’s been no common agreement between the two.
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“We’ll keep you informed. I am not yet ready to tell you what decision has been made,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked to confirm when Putin’s order would expire.
The Kremlin unilaterally claimed that the ceasefire had started on March 18, on the day Trump spoke by phone with Putin about the ceasefire.
A week later, US officials held separate talks with Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Saudi Arabia. After the meetings, the White House said both sides had agreed to “develop measures” to implement an agreement to halt strikes on each other’s energy facilities.
No formal agreement between Moscow and Kyiv was announced, and there are conflicting accounts of when the commitments took effect.
Both sides accused the other of alleged ceasefire violations following the talks and agreements, while the ceasefire’s imprecise details have made it difficult to apportion blame for breaches.
Ukrainian officials also reported a surge in casualties during the moratorium period. According to Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council, the Russian military killed nearly 2.5 times more Ukrainians during the 22 days of the “energy ceasefire” than in the same timeframe prior to its announcement.
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Between March 25 and April 15, Russian forces launched eight attacks that killed 72 people, according to the council’s data released Tuesday.
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