Kremlin says Ukraine must face consequences for recent activities
The warning follows Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries and repeats language Putin has used before.
Published
The Kremlin said Ukraine must face consequences for its recent activities. The statement does not specify what those consequences would be.
The language echoes Putin himself, who has said Kyiv must face consequences for attacks on civilian sites. He has also accused Kyiv of striking Moscow and attacking polling stations. At the same time, Putin said Russia was ready to resume negotiations after Ukraine's elections.
The rhetoric comes after Zelenskyy said Ukraine struck two refineries inside Russia overnight. It also comes as European countries discuss coordinated responses to sabotage, cyber and other hybrid attacks they blame on Russia, according to the Financial Times. On the diplomatic track, Witkoff and Kushner met Russia's Dmitriev after his talks in Washington and after Rubio's session with Lavrov.
The statement sharpens the Kremlin's language at a moment of active strikes on both sides and continued contact through US intermediaries, but it fits a pattern Putin has repeated before rather than marking a new direction. Moscow has consistently tied talk of consequences to Ukraine's targeting of Russian infrastructure while keeping the negotiating channel with Washington open. For now, the statement functions as political cover for continued strikes rather than a signal that the military or diplomatic path is about to change.