Moscow said it would halt Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy sites following its March 18 call with Washington.
In a call between Washington and Moscow on March 18, President Donald Trump proposed a limited moratorium on which Russia and Ukraine would each refrain from hitting opponents’ energy sites.
Following the call, the Kremlin said that Russian President Vladimir Putin “has been proactive in responding to this initiative and immediately gave orders to respond to the Russian troops.”
However, Ukrainian President Voldimia Zelenkie claims that Russians have already violated a limited ceasefire to halt attacks on the energy sector.
“After a conversation with Putin last night… Trump said he had issued an order to stop Ukraine’s energy strikes, 150 drones, including energy facilities, were released overnight,” he told a press conference held in Finland on March 19.
Zelenskyy said the Russian drone barrage also targeted the transport system and two hospitals.
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“Putin’s words are very different from reality,” the Ukrainian president said.
In a statement on March 19, the Russian Ministry of Defense indicated that some munitions were already in flight on their way to Ukraine’s targets when Putin issued an order to halt attacks on energy sites. Russian forces said at least seven attack drones are specifically targeting Ukrainian energy sites. The military said air defense forces fired six of their own drones, and Russian fighters stopped seventh.
The Russian army claimed it was shooting down its own drones to support a limited ceasefire, but the military leadership reported that a trio of Ukrainian drones targeted energy facilities in Russia’s Krasnodar region. The Russian Ministry of Defense said the target energy facilities will be used to move oil from railway tankers to pipelines.
Russia’s military leadership said one of the Ukrainian attack drones suppressed oil tanks and caused them to fire.
Zelensky said he would contact Trump later on March 19 on the next steps in peace talks. White House officials confirmed that Trump and Zelensky will be speaking on the phone on the morning of March 19th.
Last week, Ukrainian leaders expressed his support for a US-backed proposal to cover not only the energy sector sites but also a 30-day ceasefire covering all aspects of the ongoing Russian-Crane war. Putin had expressed his willingness to take part in a wider temporary ceasefire, but he raised doubts about how the deal would be monitored and enforced.
Following Trump and Putin’s call on March 18, the White House said the next round of negotiations would involve a ceasefire at sea, as well as a more comprehensive ceasefire and ultimately lasting peace.
“These negotiations will begin immediately in the Middle East,” the White House said on March 18th.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
