The energy truce was an important step towards ending the hostilities, Kirill Dmitriev has said

The US-brokered energy truce was a major step towards ending the Ukraine conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s investment envoy, Kirill Dmitirev, has said during his trip to the US.

Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, traveled to Washington this week to discuss further steps in normalizing bilateral ties largely suspended in 2022. 

“We are noting a positive dynamic in our relations,” Dmitriev told reporters on Thursday evening.

He added that “significant progress has already been made” towards reaching a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire.

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“For example, under the leadership of presidents [Vladimir] Putin and [Donald] Trump, an agreement has been made to refrain from strikes on energy infrastructure between Russia and Ukraine. It is a first step to deescalate the Ukraine conflict,” the envoy said.

Following a phone call with Trump on March 18, Putin said that he had instructed the Russian army to halt attacks on Ukrainian energy sites for 30 days. Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky later endorsed the arrangement.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Kiev has routinely been violating the truce, including four attacks on Russian energy sites on Thursday alone. Ukraine has been targeting fuel depots, gas facilities, and elements of the power grid, the MOD said.

Kiev has claimed that it was observing the energy truce and accused Moscow of striking gas facilities operated by the energy giant Naftogaz.