Putin says Russia 'ready for peace talks' after Ukraine refinery strikes

Vladimir Putin says Russia is ready for peace talks with Ukraine after strikes on its infrastructure led to fuel shortages.

Ukraine's attacks on oil refineries have doubled since the start of 2026, and last week strikes hit a Moscow oil refinery in one of the biggest attacks of its kind since the war began.

Mr Putin described the Ukraine strikes as a ploy to "destabilise society" and called on the government to take additional measures to deal with the consequences.

He doubled down on his claim Russia was ready for peace talks with Ukraine on the basis of previous talks in Istanbul in 2022.

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Mr Putin said: "Russia, however, as has been stated repeatedly, is ready for peace negotiations with Ukraine. It is ready to proceed on the basis of the agreements reached back in Istanbul, agreements which, I would remind you, were initialed at the time by the Ukrainian delegation.

"That means they were satisfied with them. And I see no grounds for us to depart from those agreements."

He added: "Strikes against civilian infrastructure - what are they aimed at? To destabilise society, amid such a massive onslaught, when the entire West is working for them and these drones are coming in huge numbers, to create a sense of uncertainty about the actions of the Russian armed forces."

Talks took place in Turkey soon after the war in 2022 and were resumed in 2025. But there was no suggestion from Moscow of shifting its demand, rejected by Kyiv, for Ukraine to surrender the remaining part of the Donbas region that it has successfully defended from Russian forces.

Numerous regions across Russia have reported restrictions on fuel sales, the rising price of oil products and long queues at filling stations.

Russia usually exports various oil products along with crude, but Ukrainian attacks on its refineries have forced it to ban exports of gasoline and jet fuel.

Deputy prime minister Alexander Novak said Russia was considering a diesel export ban, and changes to tax legislation to help the domestic fuel market.

He added that oil companies had delayed maintenance work at refineries and were using fuel reserves to meet demand.

He said: "We are using reserves that were not previously tapped, and are also encouraging increased supplies of additional volumes to the domestic market.

"Relevant amendments to tax legislation have been prepared in coordination with the government."

The Vedomosti newspaper reported that imports were being raised as an option at a meeting chaired by Novak.

The Russian rouble weakened and stocks fell to their lowest level in three years on Tuesday as people queued for fuel across the country following the Ukraine drone strikes.

(c) Sky News 2026: Putin says Russia 'ready for peace talks' after Ukraine refinery strikes