ADVERTISEMENTRussia and Ukraine have accused each other of violating the ceasefire on strikes against energy infrastructure.
At the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha accused each other of attacking energy sites during different panel discussions.
Lavrov stated that Russia has not attacked any Ukrainian energy facilities since 18 March when Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to halt attacks for 30 days during a phone call with US President Donald Trump.
He accused Ukraine of violating the terms of the US-brokered deal and provided the list of energy sites targeted by Ukraine to parties involved in diplomatic efforts.
“We have been keeping our word. The Ukrainians have been attacking us every day, with maybe 2 or 3 exceptions,” Lavrov said.
“I provided our colleagues in Turkey, Minister Hakan Fidan, as well as the Americans, the UN, and OSCE, with the list of facts documenting Ukraine’s attacks on Russian energy infrastructure over the past three weeks.”
Sybiha disputed Lavrov’s claims, claiming that Russia is not serious about peace and has launched thousands of projectiles at Ukraine in recent weeks.
“Russia has escalated terror and fought, I have statistics to prove, nearly 70 missiles, over 2,000 Shahed drones, and over 6,000 guided aerial bombs targeting Ukraine, mostly at civilians. This clearly shows who wants peace and who wants war,” Sybiha stated.
Lavrov also warned that a potential Black Sea deal could only be implemented after resolving issues with insurance, trade, and access to ports for Russian organizations.
Although details of the proposed deal were not disclosed, it appeared to be another effort to ensure safe shipping in the Black Sea following a 2022 agreement brokered by the UN and Turkey, which Russia halted the following year.
“When President Trump suggested another Black Sea deal, Putin said yeah, we are ready, but we need to learn from the past,” Lavrov stated.
“Let’s resolve issues related to trade, insurance, and access to ports. The Americans took this into consideration and are thinking about it. They haven’t responded to us yet,” he added.
Russia’s top diplomat said that Washington is considering Moscow’s demands but has yet to provide a response.
The White House stated in March that the US “will help restore Russia’s access to the global market for agricultural and fertilizer exports, lower maritime insurance costs, and enhance access to ports and payment systems for such transactions.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that “we will evaluate” the Russian conditions, noting that some of them “include sanctions that are not ours, they belong to the European Union.”
