Russia Rejects US Claims That Energy Strikes End War

The Kremlin has rejected assertions from the United States that Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russian energy and military infrastructure would facilitate an end to the war. During a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Donald Trump described the campaign as an escalation that "can help lead to an end," while Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested the strikes could "create the space" for negotiations.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed these views as misconceptions, warning that increased military pressure would not force concessions and could prolong the special military operation. Peskov further threatened that the Russian army might seize more territory in eastern Ukraine to establish a larger security zone. He also accused Ukraine of conducting terrorist acts against critical international energy systems, citing UAV strikes on the Krasnodarskaya compressor station of the Blue Stream pipeline and attacks on tankers in the Caspian Sea.

Despite these developments, Vladimir Putin stated that Ukrainian attacks on refineries and gas stations would not destabilize the national economy or incite public panic. Putin asserted that Russia's energy system possesses one of the world's highest resilience margins, even as reports indicate that over 90 percent of Russian regions have faced fuel shortages or rationing since June. In separate remarks, Peskov warned of countermeasures against Lithuania and Finland for lifting bans on hosting nuclear weapons and welcomed the International Olympic Committee's decision to provisionally restore the Russian Olympic Committee's membership.