Russia denies media reports of indirect talks with Ukraine

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia on Sunday denied reports that Ukraine’s offensive in the Kursk region had led to a breakdown in indirect talks with Kiev on halting attacks on energy and power targets, and said Moscow had not yet held talks with Kiev on civilian infrastructure.

Ukraine and Russia will send delegations to Qatar this month to negotiate a landmark deal to stop attacks on the warring parties’ energy and power infrastructure, The Washington Post reported on Saturday.

The Washington Post said the agreement was originally equivalent to a partial ceasefire, but the negotiations reached a deadlock due to Ukraine’s attack on Russian sovereign territory.

“No one is breaking any agreements because there is nothing to break,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said of the Washington Post report.

“There are no direct or indirect negotiations between Russia and the Kiev regime on the security of civilian critical infrastructure.”

The Ukrainian government did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The Washington Post reported that the Ukrainian presidential office said the Doha summit had been postponed due to the situation in the Middle East and would be held via video conference on August 22.

Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of attacking civilian infrastructure during the war, accusations both sides deny.

Zakharova then cited Russian President Vladimir Putin’s August 12 comments, questioning what negotiations could be held with Ukraine after it launched a ground offensive against Russia and attacked Russian civilian infrastructure.

“There is nothing to talk about with people who create this kind of thing,” Zakharova said.

In February 2022, Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine for so-called “special military operations,” and Russia now controls about 18% of Ukraine’s territory. On August 6, Ukraine crossed the border and attacked the Kursk region, marking the first military incursion of Russian territory since World War II.

(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Mark Heinrich)