Russia on Thursday hit out at the United States saying Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy sites could help end the war between Moscow and Kyiv.

Ukraine has mounted a retaliatory strike campaign using long-range drones against Russian energy and military facilities, in what Kyiv calls fair retribution for Moscow’s drone and missile barrages on Ukrainian cities.

Asked about the strikes during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump appeared to endorse the campaign. “It’s an escalation, but it’s also an escalation that can help lead to an end,” Trump said.

The Kremlin on Thursday said Ukrainian military pressure would not force it into concessions. “We see certain misconceptions within the White House administration — that by escalating military pressure it can help move to a peace settlement. That is a mistaken view,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

“Further escalation may prolong the special military operation to some extent,” he said, using Russia‘s preferred term for the offensive.

This comes after NATO, in its Ankara Declaration, cast Russia as the long-term threat to Euro-Atlantic security. Its answer, agreed at the Ankara summit, is a stronger Europe bearing more of the Alliance’s defense. Delivering on the Hague pledge, European allies and Canada increased core defense investment by more than $139 billion in 2025.

On Ukraine, NATO reaffirmed its unwavering support. For 2026, allies pledged €70 billion in military equipment, assistance, and training. They affirmed commitments to sustain at least that level in 2027. European allies and Canada now finance the bulk of security assistance to Ukraine. The declaration says that support must be predictable and sustainable over the long term. NATO welcomed the European Union’s decision to provide multi-year funding through the Ukraine Support Loan. (AFP/EIR)