---
title: "Rejection of Ceasefire and Fuel Shortage: Vladimir Putin States Kremlin's Hardline Position on VGTsK Air"
description: "In an interview with VGTsK, Vladimir Putin firmly rejected ceasefire proposals, explaining this by the need not to let Ukraine restore its army. At the same time, the President admitted for the first time a fuel shortage due to strikes on refineries, but called the situation non-critical. 🇷🇺🛢️🚫"
date: 2026-06-29T12:18:51.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/rejection-of-ceasefire-and-fuel-shortage-putin-vgtrk-interview
tags: []
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Rejection of Ceasefire and Fuel Shortage: Vladimir Putin States Kremlin's Hardline Position on VGTsK Air

![Vladimir Putin in a black suit and red tie against a dark background, serious expression, in the context of refusing ceasefire and fuel shortage](https://xab.info/media/2026/06/29/putin-otkaz-ot-pemirya-i-defitsit-topliva-intervyu-vgtrk/putin-otkaz-ot-pemirya-i-defitsit-topliva-intervyu-vgtrk-1.webp)

On June 28, 2026, a major interview with the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, aired on the VGTsK television channel. During the conversation with journalist Pavel Zarubin, the head of state outlined the Kremlin's official position on two critically important areas: the prospects for resolving the conflict and the current state of the country's energy sector.

### Hard Rejection of Peace Initiatives

The focus was on new proposals for de-escalation that had reached Moscow through unofficial channels. Putin confirmed that the Russian leadership had carefully studied initiatives proposing a mutual cessation of strikes on rear facilities and the fixation of the current line of contact. However, the Kremlin gave them a categorical refusal.

The President's argumentation is based on military-strategic considerations. According to Putin, given the shortage of personnel in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, any operational pause would become a factor allowing Kyiv to restore the combat readiness of its army. Consequently, compromise de-escalation options are currently unacceptable to Moscow.

The head of state clearly outlined the unchanging basic tasks of the Russian armed forces: establishing full control over the administrative borders of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions. Putin emphasized that any future negotiations could be conducted exclusively based on "current realities on the battlefield" and with regard to the parameters of agreements discussed in the spring of 2022.

As a possible venue for future diplomatic contacts, should they come to pass, the President named Minsk. He noted the readiness of the Belarusian leadership to facilitate the peace process if the conditions correspond to the interests of the Russian Federation.

### Admission of Problems in the Fuel Market

A particular resonance was caused by the part of the interview dedicated to the economy. For the first time in the public sphere, Vladimir Putin commented on the consequences of regular drone strikes on oil refineries, including the recent fire at the Slavyansk Oil Refinery in the Krasnodar Krai.

The President admitted that infrastructure damage creates operational difficulties. The Kremlin noted the existence of a local shortage of the most in-demand types of fuel, but assessed the situation as non-critical. The official version states that attacks on refineries are viewed as an element of an information campaign aimed at destabilizing society.

To overcome risks, a comprehensive action program has been developed:

- Acceleration of repair work on damaged capacities;

- Ensuring the necessary volumes of petroleum product imports;

- Operational increase in the production of domestic air defense complexes to strengthen the protection of industrial zones.

### Kyiv's Reaction

The statements by the Russian leader provoked an immediate reaction in Ukraine. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Center for Countering Disinformation stated that the refusal of proposals to fix borders demonstrates the unchanging intentions of the Russian Federation to dismantle Ukrainian statehood.

Furthermore, in Kyiv, they pointed out the contradiction in Moscow's rhetoric: claims of a "non-critical shortage" against the backdrop of admitting problems indicate a growing cumulative effect of economic restrictions and systemic damage to Russia's rear logistics.