Kremlin rejects US claim Ukrainian strikes will help end war

Russia on Thursday hit out at the United States saying Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy sites could help end the war between Moscow and Kyiv.

Ukraine has mounted a retaliatory strike campaign using long-range drones against Russian energy and military facilities, in what Kyiv calls fair retribution for Moscow's drone and missile barrages on Ukrainian cities.

Asked about the strikes during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump appeared to endorse the campaign.

"It's an escalation, but it's also an escalation that can help lead to an end," Trump said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio similarly expressed hope the Ukrainian strikes would "create the space now to negotiate the end of this war" that started with Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

The Kremlin on Thursday said Ukrainian military pressure would not force it into concessions.

"We see certain misconceptions within the White House administration -- that by escalating military pressure it can help move to a peace settlement. That is a mistaken view," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, including AFP.

"Further escalation may prolong the special military operation to some extent," he said, using Russia's preferred term for the offensive.

He also threatened that Moscow's army would respond by "creating a larger security zone" -- a reference to seizing more territory in eastern Ukraine.

Kyiv's attacks on Russian oil depots and refineries have triggered a fuel crisis across Russia, forcing Moscow -- one of the world's top oil producers -- to ban some exports.

More than 90 percent of all Russian regions have introduced some form of rationing or reported shortages in petrol and diesel, according to official statements and local media reports.