The extension of anti-Russian sanctions by US President Donald Trump, which were introduced by his predecessor Joe Biden, is an automatic action and no other solutions can be expected. This was stated by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, quoted by TASS.
Moscow and Washington are only at the beginning of the normalization of bilateral relations, and therefore Russia did not have exaggerated expectations regarding the actions of the United States, he noted.
The case in question concerns US Executive Order 14024 of April 15, 2021, repeatedly expanded and renewed by the Joe Biden administration.
Whether the moratorium on strikes on Russian and Ukrainian energy facilities will be extended or not depends on the decision of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Peskov also said in response to a question about whether the agreement will be extended after its expiration on April 16 (30 days from the announcement of the moratorium on March 18).
He recalled that "the moratorium has not been complied with by the Ukrainian side in essence". "Therefore, of course, we will have to analyze these 30 days. Probably for the exchange of information and considerations with the Americans. And then the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the president, will make a decision," the Kremlin spokesman explained.
On March 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart Donald Trump held a telephone conversation in which they discussed the situation in Ukraine. Putin agreed to the proposal to stop attacks on energy infrastructure for 30 days. Subsequently, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky said that his country would also support the proposal to stop attacks on energy facilities.
However, the Russian Defense Ministry has repeatedly emphasized that the regime in Kiev continues to unilaterally attack Russia's energy infrastructure despite public statements in support of the moratorium. Moscow remains committed to the agreements, TASS reports.
Separately, Peskov said that European leaders are not looking for ways to achieve a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine, but instead are "inclined to further provoke the continuation of the war".
Regarding the German government's upcoming aid to Ukraine, including the possibility of supplying long-range Taurus missiles, he warned that incoming Chancellor Friedrich Merz supports actions that "will inevitably only lead to further escalation of the situation".