No Ukrainian, Russian strikes on energy sites since March 25: Kyiv official

KYIV: Ukraine and Russia have not hit each other’s energy facilities since Tuesday — the day the White House announced agreements reached at talks with the two sides in Saudi Arabia — a senior Ukrainian official told AFP.

Washington had said Tuesday that both Kyiv and Moscow agreed separately to “develop measures for implementing” a halt on strikes on energy infrastructure.

“Since March 25, we have not seen any direct Russian hits on the energy sector, so we did not strike them,” the official said on Thursday, referring to Russian targets.

The United States had also said that both sides had agreed to halt strikes in the Black Sea, although Moscow said it first wanted an easing of sanctions affecting its agricultural exports.

“Nothing is clear about the sea yet,” the Ukrainian source said on Thursday.

The official said Moscow did strike Ukraine’s energy facilities even after Russian President Vladimir Putin originally agreed to a 30-day halt on such strikes in a phone call with US leader Donald Trump on March 19.

“From 18 to 25 March, there were eight hits — two bombs, six drones” on Ukrainian energy sites, the official said.

Russia also earlier accused Ukraine of striking electricity stations in its Kursk and Bryansk regions with drones on Monday and Tuesday.