Vladimir Putin warns Kyiv over strikes: "a response targeting your most sensitive economic sectors"

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in remarks to Russian state television published Saturday, responded to Ukraine’s intensified summer drone strikes on Russian oil refineries and warehouses by warning that Moscow would retaliate against Ukraine’s economically vulnerable industries. Ukraine says those attacks aim to cripple infrastructure supporting Russia’s war effort; Russia has already struck Ukrainian grain export facilities. Putin claimed any disruption of agricultural shipments would not cause global food shortages because Russia could replace Ukraine’s exports. He also reiterated that Moscow would negotiate peace only on terms reflecting current battlefield realities, rejecting Ukrainian proposals conveyed through intermediaries. The exchange follows Russia’s 2023 exit from the Turkish-brokered Black Sea grain deal.