Russia rejects limited Black Sea truce

MOSCOW

Russia has rejected a limited Black Sea ceasefire as Türkiye and the United Nations seek to arrange talks, with the Kremlin insisting on a broader settlement while saying it remains open to dialogue.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Oct. 2 that Moscow was aware of the Turkish-U.N. initiative but had no specific details. He accused Kiev of refusing comprehensive agreements.

“Piecemeal arrangements cannot bring us closer to a peaceful settlement,” Peskov said.

He said Russia would continue trying to stop military equipment, ammunition and fuel reaching Ukraine by sea. Moscow remained open to discussions with Türkiye, India and Egypt on Black Sea security, he added, though no concrete talks were under way.

His remarks followed President Vladimir Putin’s rejection of proposals linking a halt to Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries with an end to Russian strikes on shipping serving Ukraine. Speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club on Oct. 1, Putin said any negotiations must take both sides’ interests into account.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Kiev had received four ceasefire proposals, from Türkiye, India, Egypt and the United States.

India’s proposal was the broadest, he said. The Turkish and Egyptian initiatives focused on protecting grain shipments through the Black Sea, while Washington’s concerned a halt to attacks on energy infrastructure.

“We are ready for an energy and Black Sea ceasefire, but only in that combination,” Sybiha said.

At the Valdai meeting, Putin also warned that a direct attack on Russian territory, including the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad, would put the use of all weapons in Moscow’s arsenal on the agenda.

Discussing the danger of escalation, he invoked playwright Anton Chekhov’s image of a gun introduced on stage that must eventually fire. NATO has said it poses no threat to Kaliningrad and condemned Russia’s nuclear rhetoric.

Separately, The New York Times reported on a purported Russian plan to attack Ukraine’s energy system this winter, based on a document obtained by Ukrainian officials. The newspaper said it could not verify the document’s authenticity.

The plan envisaged attacks on electricity import links, hydroelectric plants and substations connecting Ukraine’s three operating nuclear power plants to the grid. Kiev, Kharkiv and Odesa were identified as the main targets for disruption to electricity, heating and water supplies.