Ukraine, Russia take energy sites strike complaints to Washington

KYIV: Ukraine and Russia have both taken their complaints to Washington, accusing each other of attacking energy facilities in violation of an alleged understanding reached in Saudi Arabia, as Kyiv urges the US to tighten sanctions on Moscow.

Each side has accused the other of breaking a supposed deal to stop firing on energy sites, though a formal agreement has not been put in place, and what commitments each side has undertaken remain unclear.

Following separate meetings with US officials, the White House said both Ukraine and Russia had "agreed to develop measures for implementing" an "agreement to ban strikes against energy facilities of Russia and Ukraine".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his defence minister, Rustem Umerov, was in touch with US officials.

"We have passed on all the necessary information about Russian violations in the energy sector," Zelensky said in his daily evening address.

He earlier called on Washington to strengthen sanctions on Russia as a response.

"I believe we have come to the point of increasing the sanctions impact, because I believe that the Russians are violating what they have promised America. At least what America has told us, and publicly," Zelensky said at a press conference in Kyiv.

"And we very much hope that President (Donald) Trump has all these appropriate tools to increase the sanctions pressure on the Russian side."

He said Ukraine remains "ready" for an unconditional ceasefire with Russia.

In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier discussed allegations of Ukrainian "violations" in a private meeting of top security officials on Tuesday.

Moscow also said it had handed its complaints to Washington.

‘We passed a list’

"We passed a list of violations... to the US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after the meeting.

"I have passed this list to the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio," he added.

Russia’s defence ministry earlier accused Kyiv of striking Russian energy sites in the Russian region of Belgorod and the partially Moscow-controlled Ukrainian region of Zaporizhzhia.

The allegations come hours after Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said tens of thousands were left without power in the southern Kherson region by a Russian strike.

Local authorities later said power supplies had been restored.

Russia has launched systematic aerial attacks on Ukrainian power plants and the grid since invading in February 2022.

Putin last month rejected a joint US-Ukrainian proposal for an unconditional and full ceasefire.

Sybiga also said Kyiv and Washington were holding fresh talks on a minerals agreement that would give the United States access to Ukrainian natural resources in return for more support.

The two countries had planned to sign a deal in February on extracting Ukraine’s strategically important minerals until a spectacular televised White House clash between Trump and Zelensky derailed the agreement.

Trump on Sunday warned Zelensky he would have "big problems" if Kyiv rejected the latest US proposal, details of which have not been published by either side.