Macron says Russia yet to observe energy truce

French President, Emmanuel Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said he had not noticed “any energy truce on the Russian side” after US President Donald Trump at the weekend announced an “energy ceasefire” between Ukraine and Russia.

There can only be progress “if there is a real truce on both sides,” Macron told reporters, saying “the facts show Russia has continued to bomb energy infrastructure (in Ukraine) in the last hours.”

“There is currently no factual reason to change our position. Russia is continuing to bomb both civilians and infrastructure in Ukraine,” he added.

“We say ‘yes’ to seeking an energy ceasefire and resuming peace talks…. but ‘no’ to giving in to the Russian threat,” he said.

Trump’s announcement sparked astonishment in Kyiv as well as silence from Moscow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia struck multiple Ukrainian power plants on Sunday, including one in the capital and another in Kharkiv, leading to power outages.

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PUNCH Online reports that the Russian strikes came after US President Donald Trump’s claim that both sides had agreed to stop hitting each other’s energy infrastructure.

Zelensky, in a post on social media, said a drone had hit a Kyiv power plant, leading to power outages in the capital.

Shortly later, he said there had been a strike on the CHP-5 power plant in the eastern city of Kharkiv, while adding that “Ukrainian skies have been infested with Russian ‘shaheds’ all day,” referring to a type of drone.

Trump had announced Sunday morning in Washington that “effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine.

AFP

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