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Moscow Refuses to Say Whether Energy Strike Moratorium Will Be Extended

Alexei Konovalov / TASS

The Kremlin on Wednesday declined to say whether a 30-day pause on strikes against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure would be extended, just hours before the moratorium was set to expire.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on March 18 that he had ordered a temporary halt to such attacks, though Ukrainian officials have accused Moscow of violating the pause multiple times since.

“We’ll keep you informed. I am not yet ready to tell you what decision has been made,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about the status of the moratorium and its expiration.

Putin ordered the pause after a highly anticipated phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump. One week later, U.S. officials held separate meetings with Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Saudi Arabia.

Following those meetings, the White House said both sides had agreed to “develop measures” to implement an agreement to halt strikes on each other’s energy infrastructure. However, no formal agreement was ever reached, and the timeline for when the commitments took effect remains unclear.

Both sides have continued to accuse each other of targeting energy sites in the weeks since.

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