UPDATE - Kremlin to announce when moratorium between Russia, Ukraine on energy strikes ends

ADDS FURTHER REMARKS FROM KREMLIN SPOKESMAN

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Kremlin on Wednesday said it will announce when a US-brokered moratorium between Russia and Ukraine on strikes against each other’s energy infrastructure will end.

On March 18, the US brokered two agreements between Russia and Ukraine – one to “ensure safe navigation” in the Black Sea and another for a 30-day halt on attacks targeting energy infrastructure – following talks in Saudi Arabia.

Despite the agreements, both sides have frequently accused each other of violating the pause.

“We will inform you. I am not yet ready to inform you about the decision made,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists in Moscow, also accusing Kyiv of not observing the moratorium.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed in a statement on Telegram that six strikes on its energy infrastructure were recorded over the past day, five of which are located in the border regions of Belgorod, Bryansk, and Kursk.

It added that a transformer in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine’s southern Kherson region caught fire.

Ukrainian authorities did not immediately comment on Russia’s statements.

- Visit of Qatari emir

Peskov also commented on an upcoming visit by Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to Moscow, saying he will hold an exchange of views on the Ukraine war with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Expressing that the two leaders will also exchange views on the Middle East, Peskov said the region is "full of conflict potential."

"Qatar plays a large, important role in attempts to resolve many situations. We highly value the potential and the existing level of our trade and economic cooperation, and, of course, our trusting dialogue on many topics, including the most sensitive ones," Peskov went on to say.

On Feb. 26, Russian state news agency Tass reported that Sheikh Tamim, during talks with visiting Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Doha, conveyed his plans to visit Moscow on April 17.