How is the Kremlin trying to drive Kyiv and Washington apart and disrupt peace talks?

The Kremlin is ramping up its campaign to discredit Ukraine. As reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russia shelled the Sudzha gas metering station in the Kursk region and blamed Ukraine. Russian Gazprom previously exported gas through Ukraine to Europe through this station. After the start of the Kursk operation, Russia lost control over this gas metering facility.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has already stated that Ukraine “violated the truce” proposed by the US. After the strike on the station, natural gas prices in Europe jumped. Futures at the TTF hub in the Netherlands rose by 2% to €43.8 per MWh ($500 per 1,000 cubic meters).

As a result of the attack the facility suffered serious damage that could make the prospect of resuming Russian gas transit, which some EU countries still hope for, even more unlikely.

The ISW added that the Kremlin is using narratives about Ukrainian strikes and hostilities on Russian territory to sabotage bilateral negotiations between Kyiv and Washington and justify its refusal to engage in peace talks.