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Russian President Vladimir Putin conducts an interview with state broadcaster VGTRK in Moscow on the 28th (local time). / Courtesy of TASS and Yonhap News Agency

Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged on the 28th (local time) that Russia is experiencing a certain level of fuel shortages in the war with Ukraine, which has entered its fourth year.

President Putin, during an interview with state media VGTRK released by the Kremlin on this day, spoke about Ukraine's continuous attacks on Russian oil refineries, claiming it is "an attempt to create division in Russian society, halt the advance of our military at the line of contact even if just for a moment, and create an environment to start a negotiation process on conditions favorable to our enemy."

He added, "We will not give them such an opportunity," and "No matter where the attacks on our infrastructure are aimed, they do not affect the situation on the front line or the situation at the line of contact at all."

According to Euronews, President Putin disclosed for the first time in this interview that Russia recently received a proposal from Ukraine to halt mutual attacks on areas deep behind enemy lines.

At the same time, he interpreted that the Ukrainian government proposed this because Russia's deep-strike capabilities are relatively more powerful.

President Putin also conveyed that he received a proposal to fight only in the four Ukrainian regions—Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia—which Russia unilaterally annexed in 2022 but where conflict still continues.

He said he did not accept it, claiming the proposal was a strategy to support the Ukrainian military. He analyzed that if he accepted it, Ukraine would be able to transfer forces from other regions to focus entirely on defending against Russian attacks in those four regions.

Ukraine attacked the largest oil refinery in the Russian capital of Moscow with drones on the 24th of this month, damaging two crude oil processing facilities and halting their operation, Reuters and others reported.

According to sources, it takes at least six months for the corresponding facilities to be restored to their original state, so they are unlikely to resume production within this year.

President Putin also mentioned the possibility of diplomatic dialogue with the West, including the United States, in this interview. He expected that US-led diplomatic efforts would resume once the conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran enters a lull.

In addition, hinting at the possibility of Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner revisiting Moscow, he projected that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko could play a mediating role in the future peace negotiation process.

                                                                                                           Kim Hyun-min