According to the reports, Putin acknowledged that Ukrainian attacks on Russia’s refining industry had caused significant losses, amounting to about 1% of the country’s GDP. He also claimed that Ukraine no longer has a steelmaking industry following Russian retaliatory strikes.
Despite the losses, Putin said Russia has sufficient diesel fuel. However, he said international sanctions prevent it from reaching global markets. At the end of his remarks, Putin claimed that Russia opposes all aggression and supports the peaceful resolution of all issues.
According to the Ukrainian General Staff, Ukrainian forces have disabled more than 45% of Russia’s nominal oil-refining capacity. One of the latest facilities targeted by Ukrainian forces was the Kuibyshev oil refinery in Samara.
The Atlantic recently reported that U.S., Ukrainian, and
Russian negotiators could meet in Abu Dhabi this month to discuss, among other
issues, a mutual halt to strikes on energy infrastructure.