Putin expects US negotiators in Moscow; fuel rationing in Siberia as crisis bites

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he expects US negotiators to arrive in Moscow once Washington has reached an agreement with Iran over the Middle East conflict. “We expect that after all the events are over, after the active phase on the Iranian track has passed, we will see the arrival of those representatives of the US administration with whom we have already met in Moscow repeatedly,” Putin told Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin. “We are ready to continue negotiations and discuss all the details.”

Putin acknowledged “a certain shortage” of fuel after Ukrainian retaliatory strikes on energy infrastructure sparked by his invasion of Ukraine. “As for strikes against critical infrastructure in general, and energy infrastructure in particular, of course these attacks on our infrastructure facilities create problems, that’s obvious,” Putin said in an interview published by the Kremlin on Sunday. “Right now we’re observing a certain shortage, but it’s not critical.” The priority now is to improve air defences and protect fuel supplies, especially in Russian-occupied Crimea. Fuel deliveries to the Black Sea peninsula by land and sea will be increased, Putin said.

A governor in Siberia announced that drivers will be allowed to buy no more than 50 litres of fuel per vehicle per day at state-run Rosneft fuel stations in the province. Igor Kobzev, the governor of the Irkutsk region, made the announcement as fuel shortages spread across Russia. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Moscow is actively reviewing fuel export agreements to avoid compromising domestic needs.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his forces struck two oil refineries inside Russia over the weekend. A drone strike sparked a blaze at a refinery in Slavyansk-na-Kubani in the Krasnodar region, killing one person and wounding another. Zelenskyy also claimed another refinery in the Yaroslavl region, around 700 km from the border, was hit during night-time strikes. Russian authorities did not immediately report on the Yaroslavl strike. Local governor Mikhail Evraev reported that some roads between Moscow and Yaroslavl were temporarily closed due to “an enemy attack by Ukrainian drones.” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram: “Each [strike] means a reduction in the resources that fuel the Russian war machine, and another step toward peace.”

A Russian attack killed two people in Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine and injured 16, including two children. In Russia’s Belgorod region, Ukrainian drone strikes killed one person and injured another. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces shot down 213 Ukrainian drones overnight, including over Russia, occupied Crimea, and the Black and Azov seas. Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia attacked with 142 long-range strike drones and eight missiles; 125 drones and seven missiles were downed.