Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, on Friday said Russian and Ukrainian officials are unlikely to agree to a full ceasefire at present due to persistent attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure by Ukraine.
Speaking to the reporters here at the UN headquarters, Nebenzia addressed comments by US President Donald Trump, who said he expects a response from Russia on a ceasefire proposal as early as “this week.”
“How close we are to the ceasefire is a big question to me personally, because, as I said, we had an attempt at a limited ceasefire on energy infrastructure, which was not observed by the Ukrainian side,” he said.
Moscow and Kyiv agreed on a 30-day moratorium on strikes on energy facilities following a phone call between Trump and Putin last month.
Russia, however, has accused Ukraine of repeatedly violating the ceasefire. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that the moratorium had expired but that Putin had not yet announced a decision on further steps.
Meanwhile, Nebenzia noted that there are “big issues with the comprehensive ceasefire,” recalling the fate of the now-defunct Minsk agreements, which were designed to give the regions of Donetsk and Lugansk special status within the Ukrainian state.
According to Nebenzia, the deal was “misused and abused to prepare Ukraine for the confrontation with Russia.”
He made these comments amid diplomatic efforts between the US and Russia to resolve the Ukraine conflict.
Earlier this month, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff met with Putin in St. Petersburg, stating after the talks that a potential peace deal hinges on “these so-called five territories,” referring to former Ukrainian regions that overwhelmingly voted to join Russia.
However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday indicated that Washington could withdraw from peace negotiations if no progress is made soon.
“We need to determine very quickly now, and I’m talking about a matter of days, whether or not this is doable,” Rubio said.
