Ukraine peace recedes: Russia announces end of energy truce, U.S. hints it could "move on to something else" if no deal soon

The peace in Ukraine is once again receding. The Kremlin announced that the 30-day moratorium on shelling rival energy infrastructure has "expired." Shortly before, Secretary of State Marco Rubio had expressed Washington's dissatisfaction with the slow progress in the negotiations and hinted that the U.S. might "move on" if progress did not occur soon.

The Kremlin's announcement removes the prospect of an imminent cessation of fighting, more than three years after Russia invaded Ukraine. The Trump Administration's efforts to accelerate the talks, in compliance with the president's statements during the election campaign for the moment are not having the desired effects, and a certain weariness about the situation is being perceived from Washington.

A truce always under suspicion

In March, the White House stated that it had reached agreements with Moscow and Kiev to stop attacking the energy infrastructures of the opposing side. But a month later, Russia has called it quits, according to Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov at his daily press briefing, responding to a question from AFP:

"Indeed, the moratorium month expired. For the time being, there have been no further instructions from the supreme commander-in-chief, President Putin."

The details of the agreement were never entirely clear: neither when it began to apply nor for how long it would be extended nor under what conditions. The Russians announced it on March 18 after Trump and Putin spoke on the phone, but the Ukrainians referred to it days later, after talks with the Americans. Moreover, since then, Russia and Ukraine have been accusing each other almost daily of violating it.

Washington increases pressure to reach an agreement

Before that energy truce was announced, Donald Trump had proposed an unconditional and complete cease-fire, something Kiev agreed to but Putin rejected.

On Friday, Marco Rubio gave an account of Washington's impatience following a meeting organized the day before between U.S., European and Ukrainian officials in Paris. "We have to determine in the next few days whether a truce is feasible," he declared.

Rubio threatened to "move on to something else" if the United States determines that peace is "not possible." "The United States has other priorities," Rubio said before leaving France, adding that Washington did not want the Ukrainian issue to last "weeks and months."

After these first collective talks, which succeeded without much progress, Americans, Europeans and Ukrainians are scheduled to meet again next week in London.

New attacks

In Ukraine, Russian attacks continue. One person was killed and at least 98 injured, including six children, in a missile attack in Kharkov, according to a latest assessment by the mayor, Igor Terekhov.

In Sumi, where 35 people were killed in a Russian bombing on Sunday, a new drone strike killed one person and wounded one, according to the local military administration.

US-Ukraine breakthrough on mineral pact

In parallel, the United States and Ukraine on Thursday signed a "memorandum of intent," a first step toward concluding an agreement on the exploitation of Ukraine's natural resources and strategic minerals.

The memorandum, published Friday by Kiev, specifies that Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmigal, will travel next week to Washington to negotiate, and assures that the United States and Ukraine plan to conclude negotiations by April 26.