Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to “finish off” Ukrainian troops on Friday — after the warmonger ordered strikes on an Ukrainian energy facility in a brazen violation of the US-backed partial cease-fire.
Moscow forces attacked the outpost in Kherson Thursday, breaching the precarious deal calling for a halt to military action in the Black Sea and a pause in long-range attacks on energy infrastructure.
Putin, who had said that Moscow would end its strikes on Ukrainian energy targets, called on his troops to continue pushing forward into Ukraine and even step up their attacks.
“I was saying not so long ago: ‘We will finish them off.’ There are reasons to believe that we will finish them off,” Putin said while attending the International Arctic Forum in Murmansk, according to the AFP.
“We are gradually, not as fast as some would like, but nevertheless persistently and confidently moving toward achieving all the goals stated at the beginning of the special operation,” the Kremlin leader added.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday said Russia “reserves the right not” to adhere to the moratorium on strikes against energy installations.
“The Russian side reached understanding and agreements with the US counterparts,” Peskov said. “At the same time, the Russian side reserves the right in case of failure of the Kyiv regime to comply with it, certainly, not to follow it also.”
Their comments come as Washington works to re-establish a relationship with Moscow and engage with both Russia and Ukraine in separate talks to reach a peace deal.
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