Kremlin denies FT's report about alleged energy negotiations with Ukraine
Photo: Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov (Kremlin.ru)
Financial Times reported that Ukraine and Russia are allegedly discussing a possible ceasefire regarding energy strikes. However, President Vladimir Putin denied this, according to TASS.
What the media reported
The Financial Times, citing diplomatic sources, stated that Russia and Ukraine, with the mediation of Qatar, have allegedly begun "preliminary negotiations to halt strikes on each other's energy infrastructure."
A source from the news agency said that these discussions are in the "very early stages." The Financial Times also reported that last autumn, Ukraine and Russia reached a "tacit agreement" not to strike each other's energy facilities.
Representatives of Putin claimed that the president is unlikely to agree to any deal until the Ukrainian Armed Forces push Russian troops out of the Kursk region.
The news agency also noted that such an agreement could be the first step towards ending active hostilities in Ukraine.
What Putin's office said
The Kremlin called the Financial Times material about Russia and Ukraine discussing a suspension of strikes on energy infrastructure a "disinformation campaign."
"There are a lot of disinformation efforts right now that have no relation to reality. Even the most reputable publications do not shy away from allowing such disinformation and publishing such reports," stated Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian president.
Situation with electricity in Ukraine
Russian forces continue to target energy facilities in Ukraine, primarily in border and frontline regions. The last mass attack on the energy infrastructure occurred on August 26, when Russia struck facilities in 15 regions of Ukraine.
Currently, the electricity situation is stable, and energy workers do not anticipate any outages for now.
However, the situation is not positive in all regions. For instance, in the Zaporizhzhia region, warnings have been issued that there may be a lack of electricity during the winter due to enemy attacks.
