Ukraine and Russia are in talks to halt strikes on energy facilities, according to the Financial Times.

This is reported by Financial Times citing sources.

According to the publication's sources, particularly Ukrainian officials, Kyiv sought to resume negotiations mediated by Qatar, which were allegedly close to an agreement in August but fell through due to the Kursk operation.

“There are very preliminary discussions about a potential restart of something. Currently, negotiations are ongoing regarding energy facilities,” stated an unnamed diplomat.

A senior Ukrainian official claims that Moscow and Kyiv have already reduced the frequency of attacks on each other's energy infrastructure in recent weeks “within the understanding” reached by the intelligence services.

Furthermore, both countries had previously agreed that halting attacks on Ukraine's power grid and Russia's oil refining capabilities was in their mutual interest, FT points out.

However, a former high-ranking Kremlin official, informed about the negotiations, is convinced that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is unlikely to agree to a deal while Ukrainians are in the Kursk region.

Despite this, Ukraine plans to continue striking targets, including oil refineries, to pressure Russia into negotiations, said a Ukrainian official.

Four Ukrainian officials told FT that Kyiv and Moscow reached a “tacit agreement” not to attack each other's energy facilities last autumn.

This arrangement was supposed to pave the way for an official agreement, the sources said. However, Kyiv resumed drone attacks on Russian oil facilities in February and March 2024. In response, Russians began targeting power plants across Ukraine.

Updated at 10:18. The Ministry of Energy declined to comment on this information, according to Hromadske.

Recall that President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that a mutual ceasefire of attacks on energy infrastructure and cargo vessels could signify the end of the hot phase of the Russian-Ukrainian war and open the path to peace negotiations.

How Kyiv commented on previous statements about negotiations

Back in August, Le Monde and the Washington Post reported that Ukraine and Russia were allegedly engaged in secret negotiations that were supposed to conclude with an agreement on a mutual cessation of strikes on energy infrastructure. However, the Ukrainian army's operation in the Kursk region interrupted these talks.

Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko denied the claims made by Western media regarding secret negotiations.

“We do not negotiate with terrorists. Especially not behind the scenes. That is impossible,” he stated.