Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was ready to take "escalating measures" against Ukrainian ports and shipping if attacks on Russian tankers continued. He described the strikes on several Russian and Russian-linked vessels as "piracy" and warned that Russia could respond with larger-scale military action in the Black Sea, the BBC quoted him as saying.
"Russia will intensify strikes on Ukrainian ports and all ships entering them," Putin said, stressing that the Kremlin views the latest attacks as an attempt by Kiev to expand the conflict to the sea.
The president went further, hinting at the possibility of Russia completely blocking Ukraine's sea access. "The most radical way is to cut Ukraine off from the sea — then it will be impossible to engage in piracy in principle," he said, adding that Moscow would act "on an increasing scale" if it deemed it necessary.
Putin expressed hope that the Ukrainian military and political leadership, "as well as those behind them," would reconsider their actions and stop attacks on the Russian merchant fleet.
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The statements come against the backdrop of a series of attacks on tankers linked to Russian oil exports, including incidents in the Black Sea and off the coast of West Africa. Moscow blames Kiev for the attacks, while Ukraine has not officially acknowledged involvement in operations against merchant ships outside combat zones.
A threat by Russia to try to block Ukraine from the sea would constitute a sharp escalation and would have significant consequences for the safety of shipping in the Black Sea, as well as for international deliveries of grain and other cargo from Ukrainian ports.
Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters before his meeting with US envoy Steve Witkoff that capturing the city of Pokrovsk - referred to by Russian authorities by its old Soviet name of Krasnoarmeysk - was of "extreme strategic importance" for the Russian military. His comment came a day after Russian generals reported the capture of the city, but the Ukrainian side has not confirmed such information.
Returning to the topic of Europe's participation in the negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin said that the Europeans' proposed changes to Trump's plan are aimed at blocking this process.
"They [the Europeans] do not have a peace agenda. They are on the side of war. And even when they try to make some changes to Trump's proposal, we clearly see that these changes are aimed at only one thing: blocking the entire peace process," Putin said.
"If they [the Europeans] want to return to reality, based on the situation developing on the ground, then go ahead, we allow it," Putin said.
According to Putin, Pokrovsk is "not just a large infrastructure node connected to an entire network of communications in the region", but also "a good springboard for fulfilling all the tasks set at the beginning of the SVO" (the Russian name for the invasion of Ukraine). He said that the Russian side is ready to allow journalists, including from Western media, to "all neighborhoods" of the city, thus trying to emphasize his assurance that Russian troops are already in control of the settlement.
Regarding the situation in the Kharkiv region, Putin said that "fighting continues in Kupyansk-Uzlovoy" and that, in his opinion, "in a few days, this point will also be in the hands of Russian troops." His statement comes against the backdrop of fierce fighting along the Kupyansk-Svatovo line, which in recent weeks has become one of the most tense sections of the front.
The Russian president also claimed that his army had begun "liquidation" of 15 Ukrainian battalions, which he said were blocked on the left bank of the Oskol River in Kupyansk. Kiev has not commented on the claim, and there has been no independent confirmation.
The Ukrainian military says fighting is continuing, but describes the situation in the area as "dynamic" and does not acknowledge the loss of Pokrovsk. International observers also note that there is currently no geolocation evidence to confirm the full Russian control over the city, which Moscow insists.
Putin's statements underscore the Kremlin's desire to portray progress on the front as steady, while Kiev insists that Ukrainian defenses are holding key positions and that fighting is ongoing.