President Donald Trump said Russia and Ukraine had agreed to stop striking each other’s energy infrastructure. Then overnight into Tuesday, both sides launched new energy attacks. Russia fired a volley of 200 drones at Ukraine, hitting energy and port facilities, Ukrainian officials said.
In the capital, Kyiv, one person was killed and seven others injured in attacks on two gas stations, warehouses and other sites, according to local authorities. In the south and west, Russian strikes damaged homes, as well as port and transportation infrastructure. Kyiv’s military meanwhile said it struck the Syzran oil refinery in Russia’s Samara region.
Ukrainian officials also reported strikes on a drone production facility in Taganrog and a drone preparation and launch site in the Oryol region. This is the daily reality of Russia’s assault, now into its fifth year, to bomb Ukraine’s military and population into submission. The Kremlin has launched near nightly drone and missile attacks on Kyiv and other cities.
In an attempt to counter this assault, Ukraine has intensified its campaign of strikes on oil facilities and military targets deep inside Russia. Trump announced Monday that the two sides had agreed to halt this deadly aerial exchange, which Trump said was the primary driver of a global fuel shortage that has seen diesel prices in the United States hit record highs. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy seemed to question Trump’s assertion that a deal had bee reached, saying he would only promise to halt energy strikes if Russia did the same, and that he did not trust the Kremlin to do so.
The Kremlin welcomed the idea Tuesday but described it as a proposal still being discussed with Washington. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov called Trump’s proposal “a very good idea, a good initiative.” He added that “we are in contact with the Americans. We always support peaceful solutions.” The White House did not immediately respond to request for comment on what exactly had been agreed, and on the apparent disconnect between Trump’s statement and subsequent events.
In May, Trump secured a three-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine during which time Putin held a “victory day parade.” Earlier this month, both sides agreed to a three-day pause in strikes while Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, held talks in Moscow and Kyiv. These negotiations did not produce demonstrable results and fighting resumed. On Monday, Trump blamed rising diesel prices on the Russia-Ukraine war, including Kyiv’s attempts to repel Russia’s assault, rather than the assault he launched against Iran.
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