Vladimir Putin Claims Ukraine Proposed a Mutual Halt to Long Range Infrastructure Strikes

Russian leader Vladimir Putin claims that Ukraine proposed a mutual halt to long-range strikes against infrastructure targets, The Moscow Times reported on June 29.

In an interview with a Kremlin reporter, Putin claimed that Kyiv initiated the proposal because Russian retaliatory strikes deep inside Ukraine are far more “powerful and destructive.” He also claimed that Ukraine suggested limiting active combat strictly to the four partially occupied regions—Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk.

According to Putin, this alleged proposal was intended to allow the Ukrainian military to withdraw troops from regions like Kharkiv and Sumy to reinforce the main front line due to what he called a “catastrophic shortage of personnel.” He rejected the proposal, stating that his primary objective remains the capture of the Donbas and southern Ukrainian regions.

Putin did acknowledge that Ukrainian infrastructure strikes create problems and have caused a fuel deficit within Russia. However, he claimed that all damaged facilities are being repaired quickly and that the overall domestic energy situation remains stable. To resolve the fuel shortages, Putin stated that Russia needs to accelerate refinery repairs, increase the production of air defense systems, and boost gasoline imports.

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However, the scale of Russia’s emergency measures suggests the situation is far less stable than Putin claims. Russia’s oil output has reportedly fallen by around 25%, fuel rationing has reached the capital region, and the Moscow refinery may remain offline until 2027 after Ukrainian drone strikes.

These assertions match earlier rhetoric from the Russian leader. Putin had recently vowed to intensify strikes on Ukraine after Ukrainian attacks on Russian infrastructure earlier this month, where he similarly downplayed the attacks, claiming that the drone strikes would fail to cause serious economic problems or divide Russian society.

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