The Kremlin confirmed on Friday that the order issued by Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 18 to suspend attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities for 30 days has expired.
“The moratorium has ended. At the moment, no new instructions have been given by the supreme commander-in-chief, President Putin,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said during his regular press briefing.
With this statement, Moscow officially marked the end of a fragile pause in hostilities, during which both Russia and Ukraine repeatedly accused each other of violating the agreement.
The decision to halt the attacks temporarily came after a phone conversation between Putin and his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump. Days later, Washington announced it had reached separate agreements on the issue with both Moscow and Kyiv.
However, the specifics of the deal—its start date, conditions, and duration—remained unclear. Since then, mutual accusations of non-compliance have been almost daily.
Trump, who has expressed a strong desire to end the conflict quickly, initially proposed a full and unconditional ceasefire. Kyiv agreed, but Moscow rejected the idea.
“President Putin is interested in resolving the conflict, defending Russia’s interests, and remains open to dialogue,” Peskov said Friday.
The Kremlin also claimed that “concrete progress” has been made in talks with the United States aimed at a peaceful resolution. The statement came in response to remarks from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who warned that the U.S. might withdraw from the peace process if no tangible results are achieved in the coming weeks.
“We believe some progress has been made, particularly related to the temporary moratorium, which Russia upheld by refraining from targeting energy infrastructure,” Peskov noted. However, he acknowledged that “many difficult discussions still lie ahead.”
When asked about a possible resumption of Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities, the spokesperson clarified that “as of now, there is no new order from President Putin.”
Responding to Trump’s statement that he expects a Russian answer “this week” to a ceasefire proposal, Peskov remained cautious: “The situation in Ukraine is complex. Russia supports a negotiated solution, the defense of its interests, and is open to dialogue.”
Peskov also commented on the trilateral meeting held the day before in Paris, which included representatives from the U.S., Europe, and Ukraine.
“Recently, we haven’t heard any calls for peace coming from Europe. On the contrary, there have been calls for further militarization of both Europe and Ukraine. These messages hardly contribute to a peaceful resolution,” he said.
During a phone call on Thursday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Secretary Rubio reiterated Washington’s willingness to continue working with Moscow to address the root causes of the conflict.
Speaking after leaving Paris, Rubio issued a stark warning: “If it’s not possible to end the war in Ukraine, we must move forward. We need to determine quickly—within days—whether that’s feasible.”
“This is not our war. We didn’t start it. The United States has supported Ukraine for the past three years, and we want it to end—but it is not our war,” he stated.
Leave a Comment