Kremlin says Russia called off a drone attack on Ukrainian energy infrastructure
Putin agreed in a call with Trump on Tuesday to temporarily stop attacking Ukrainian energy facilities, but declined to endorse a full 30-day ceasefire sought by the U.S. president.
Ukraine has accused Russia of striking its energy infrastructure overnight anyway.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia had called off a drone attack on Ukrainian energy infrastructure targets and had shot down seven of its own drones.
"They were just lining up in combat order, six of them were shot down by 'Pantsirs' (a surface-to-air missile system) and another one was destroyed by a (Russian) military aircraft," Peskov said.
Peskov in turn accused Ukraine of not respecting the 30-day moratorium on striking each other's energy infrastructure and said it had tried to attack Russian energy infrastructure overnight.
"Unfortunately, we see that so far there has been no reciprocity on the part of the Kyiv side. There have been attempts to strike at our energy infrastructure facilities," Peskov said.
"We are watching closely to see whether Kyiv heeds the firm commitment of the Russian and U.S. presidents to do everything possible to move towards a peaceful settlement."
The Russian military earlier on Wednesday accused Ukraine of trying to sabotage the temporary moratorium on striking each other's energy infrastructure with a deliberate drone attack on an oil depot in southern Russia.
Asked if Russia would abide by its promise to suspend strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, Peskov suggested it would.
"The president has not given any other orders (to the contrary)," said Peskov.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
6 minutes ago
- Reuters
Iran says direct nuclear talks with US possible under suitable conditions
DUBAI, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Iran could hold direct nuclear talks with the United States if conditions are suitable, first Vice President Mohammadreza Aref said on Tuesday, according to state media. But he said U.S. demands for Tehran to drop uranium enrichment entirely were "a joke". A sixth round of talks between Tehran and Washington was suspended following Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June. Both powers accuse Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, an accusation Tehran has rejected. "Iran is ready for negotiations under equal conditions in order to safeguard its interests ... The Islamic Republic's stance is in the direction that people want and, should there be suitable conditions, we are even ready for direct talks," Aref said. Previous rounds of negotiations, which started in April, were indirect, mediated by Oman. Washington says uranium enrichment in Iran constitutes a pathway to developing nuclear weapons and should be dropped. On Sunday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian made a controversial statement in favour of resuming negotiations with the U.S. regardless of current levels of distrust. "You don't want to talk? Well then, what do you want to do? Do you want to go to war? ... Going to talks does not mean we intend to surrender,' he said, adding that such issues should not be "approached emotionally". A senior commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Aziz Ghazanfari, reacting to Pezeshkian's comments on Monday, said foreign policy requires discretion, and careless statements by authorities can have serious consequences for the country.
ITV News
an hour ago
- ITV News
Starmer and Zelenskyy 'welcomed' Trump's new Ukraine ceasefire deadline for Russia
Sir Keir Starmer and Volodymyr Zelenskyy have 'welcomed' US President Donald Trump's new deadline for Russia to negotiate a ceasefire with Ukraine, Downing Street said. In a call on Friday, the leaders agreed 'it was clear Russia was the only barrier to peace'. It comes as Trump said on Tuesday he was giving Russian President Vladimir Putin a shorter deadline – August 8 – for peace efforts to make progress, or Washington would impose punitive sanctions and tariffs. 'The prime minister began by sharing his condolences for the deadly attack on Kyiv in recent days,' according to the readout. 'It was a bitter reminder of the human cost of the awful conflict perpetrated by Russia, Starmer added. 'The prime minister then updated on President Trump's visit to the UK, and both leaders welcomed the president's new deadline on Russia to stop their stalling tactics and make meaningful progress on a peace deal. 'It was clear Russia was the only barrier to peace, the leaders agreed.' Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, said on X that he had spoken to Starmer. 'Keir expressed his condolences over the deaths of our people as a result of Russia's attack on Kyiv,' Zelenskyy said. 'It was an absolutely vile and brutal missile and drone strike that took the lives of 31 people, including five children. "Our conversation today focused on how to stop the killings, provide greater protection for our people, and force Russia to end this war.' Zelenskyy said Russia 'genuinely fears' sanctions, 'no matter how hard it pretends that it couldn't care less'. "Sanctions are undoubtedly working – and there will be more. We are working with everyone on coordinated restrictive measures," he added. 'We discussed our cooperation with American partners, particularly the coordination of actions with President Trump and possible formats for peace negotiations at the level of leaders.' Zelenskyy and Starmer also discussed battlefield technology. 'We discussed the urgent need to scale up drone production, especially interceptor drones,' the Ukrainian president said. 'There is a specific financial need, and we agreed to find a solution.' Number 10 said Starmer 'updated on the strong progress being made at rapid pace' and 'welcomed the passing of Ukraine's anti-corruption bill earlier this week'.
ITV News
an hour ago
- ITV News
European leaders urge Trump to include Ukraine and defend their security interests in summit talks
European leaders are urging Donald Trump to defend their security interests and include Ukraine in peace negotiations as the US President prepares to meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday. The EU leaders have appealed to Trump after he made comments during a White House press conference on Monday that a peace deal with Russia would require Ukraine to give up some Russian-held territory and could include some "land swapping" with Ukraine. A peace deal requiring Ukraine to accept swapping Ukrainian territory with Russia has been rejected by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It would also be illegal under its constitution. But Russia appears to be on the verge of claiming new territory in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, potentially to use as leverage in any peace negotiations at his summit with Trump in Alaska. It will be the first US-Russia leaders summit in four years and it is not clear whether Ukraine will take part in Friday's meeting. Ukrainian officials have made it clear that Zelensky was prepared to travel to Alaska if invited by Trump. European leaders, who have also been sidelined from the meeting, released a statement on Tuesday saying 'the path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine'. 'A just and lasting peace that brings stability and security must respect international law, including the principles of independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and that international borders must not be changed by force,' they said in a statement. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who is Putin's closest ally in Europe, was the only EU leader who did not endorse the statement. The EU and Ukraine are wary that Putin, who has waged the biggest land war in Europe since 1945, might secure favorable concessions and set the outlines of a peace deal without overarching fear for European countries is that Putin will set his sights on another European country next if he wins in Ukraine. Europe will make a fresh attempt to rally Trump to Ukraine's cause on Wednesday at virtual meetings convened by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Trump did not confirm whether he would take part in that session, but said: 'I'm going to get everybody's ideas' before meeting with Putin. Last month Trump imposed a deadline on Putin of August 8 for peace efforts to make progress, or he said Washington would impose punitive sanctions and tariffs.
