The Kremlin today rejected claims by the Financial Times newspaper that Russia and Ukraine are in the early stages of talks over a possible end to strikes against energy facilities, reported Reuters.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there is a lot of information in the media "which has nothing to do with reality".
The "Financial Times", citing sources including what it said were high-ranking Ukrainian officials, reported that Kiev wants to continue the talks, which came close to an agreement in August and are being mediated by Qatar.< /p>
The sources told the newspaper that the talks broke down after Kiev's forces launched their offensive in Russia's Kursk region, which borders Ukraine.
"There are talks at a very early stage about possibly renewing something," a diplomat told the "Financial Times". "Negotiations are currently underway for the energy facilities", the newspaper also wrote.
Reuters cannot independently confirm the information. The Kremlin, the Russian Defense Ministry, the office of Ukrainian President Zelensky and the Ukrainian Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent by Reuters.
"Financial Times" reported that the Kremlin declined to comment and that Zelensky's office has not yet responded to the newspaper's requests for comment.
Much of Ukraine's energy capacity has been destroyed or seized due to Russian attacks on energy infrastructure, forcing Kiev to rely on its nuclear plants and imports from Europe.
Last month, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that Russia had shut down more than half of Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
The European Union aims to restore 2.5 gigawatts of capacity, which represents about 15% of the country's needs, Von der Leyen said, citing EU proposals.
At the start of the war, Ukraine did not have powerful long-range weapons, but has since developed long-range drones and used them to strike targets deep inside Russia – from oil refineries to power plants and military airfields.
Earlier in October, Zelensky told the Financial Times that an agreement to protect energy facilities would be a sign that Russia is willing to participate in broader peace talks. Moscow says it wants peace, but is setting conditions that Kiev says are unacceptable.