Ukraine and Russia ramped up attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure as a deadline approaches for Moscow to agree to a ceasefire deal or face new US sanctions.
Energy attacks have slowed considerably from their peak last year, after a loosely followed energy truce was struck between the two countries in March. But early on Wednesday morning, Russian drones damaged a gas compressor station linking Ukrainian pipelines to an LNG import terminal in Greece, which had been used to receive gas from the US, according to Ukraine’s state-owned company Naftogaz. Other recent attacks have targeted gas production fields and oil refineries, and the UN’s nuclear power watchdog warned of explosions near the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. Ukraine, for its part, has stepped up long-range drone attacks on Russian oil depots and refineries, which could drive up the cost of fuel for Russians. Ukrainian special forces may also have played a role in a string of recent mine attacks on Russian “shadow fleet” oil tankers.
In a statement on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Trump to follow through with sanctions on buyers of Russian crude oil: “For Russia to move toward peace, it must run out of money for the war.” And Trump seems prepared to oblige, saying on Wednesday that he will double tariffs on India as a punishment for buying Russian oil. Whether all these physical and economic attacks will lend momentum toward a ceasefire remains to be seen: Trump is expected to meet with Putin next week, and could have a follow-up meeting shortly thereafter with both leaders together, The New York Times reported.