Putin rejects Ukraine's proposal to halt long-range strikes
President Vladimir Putin said he rejected a Ukrainian proposal for a mutual halt to long-range missile attacks, telling Russian state television that “our counterstrikes deep into Ukrainian territory are much stronger” and more destructive. He cast the offer as an attempt by Kyiv to ease pressure along the roughly 1,250km front line. Ukrainian officials have not publicly confirmed making the proposal.
The remarks came the same day Ukraine intensified its campaign against Russian energy infrastructure, hitting oil refineries in Slavyansk and Yaroslavl. That backdrop helps explain Putin’s calculus: with Russia holding battlefield initiative and Ukraine increasingly able to reach refineries and other targets far from the front, Moscow sees little reason to trade away a capability it believes favors it.
Putin signaled openness to renewed U.S.-led diplomacy once the Iran conflict subsides, but the core gap remains — Russia demands Ukraine cede the Donbas, and Ukraine refuses territorial concessions. Talks remain stalled.