The Kremlin said Tuesday that Russia remains in contact with Washington regarding a potential energy cease-fire in Ukraine mentioned by President Donald Trump last week.
In remarks to journalists at a press briefing, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the topic was discussed during Monday’s news conference and that he had nothing to add to that conversation.
“Contacts regarding this matter are ongoing,” Peskov said, noting that he does not see a correlation between Russia’s position on Ukraine and a deal – unveiled by Trump Friday following a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin – for Moscow to supply diesel to the U.S. and global markets.
Peskov described the diesel agreement as a “highly mutually beneficial” aspect of Russian-American cooperation.
“This serves the interests of the United States, the interests of global energy markets and the interests of the Russian Federation; that is why it is happening,” Peskov added, claiming that European countries may attempt to hinder the agreement.
Peskov also said that Russia is a country that offers competitive products on global markets and will continue to do so.
He said Kremlin was unaware of reports that the U.S. would cease intelligence sharing with Kyiv, as well as a U.S.- and European-proposed peace plan for the Ukraine war reported by The Washington Post.
The spokesman also said that it was too early to discuss a compensation mechanism for financial losses suffered by Yandex users as a result of recent Ukrainian attacks against the company’s data centers.
On Sunday, Trump announced on his Truth Social media platform that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an immediate cease-fire on attacks targeting each other’s energy infrastructure.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Axios earlier Sunday that Kyiv was prepared to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries if Moscow stopped attacking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, stressing that any de-escalation must be reciprocal and backed by guarantees.
Meanwhile, Peskov said Monday that the Kremlin had no immediate comment on the proposed halt, though contacts with the U.S. concerning the topic were ongoing.
