“We see actions by the United States aimed at trying to stabilize energy markets. In this respect, our interests coincide,” Peskov said in remarks carried by Russian media.

The comments followed an announcement by Scott Bessent, the U.S. Treasury secretary, who said Washington had issued a temporary authorization allowing countries to purchase Russian oil cargoes already in transit at sea. The measure extends a similar waiver that had previously applied only to refiners in India.

Bessent said the authorization was narrowly designed to ease market volatility without significantly benefiting the Russian government.

“This narrowly tailored, short-term measure applies only to oil already in transit and will not provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government,” he said in a statement posted on social media.According to Bessent, most Russian energy revenue is generated through taxes assessed at the point of extraction rather than through shipments already in transit.

The decision comes as oil markets react sharply to rising geopolitical risks linked to the widening conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States.

The waiver has drawn mixed reactions in European capitals, where officials have warned that any easing of restrictions on Russian energy exports could indirectly support Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine.Katherina Reiche, Germany’s economy minister, said she was concerned the measure could help finance Russian military operations.

“I am concerned that we are further filling Putin’s war chest,” Reiche said in Berlin.At the same time, she acknowledged that the U.S. administration faced mounting domestic pressures linked to rising energy costs.“It seems to me that domestic political pressure in the United States is very, very high,” she said.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz took a firmer stance, saying it was wrong to ease sanctions on Russia for any reason. Similar concerns were voiced by Jonas Gahr Store, the prime minister of Norway, who said sanctions should remain in place.

Oil prices remained elevated above $100 per barrel on Friday as investors reacted to intensifying geopolitical risks. Markets have been particularly sensitive to threats involving the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route for global oil supplies.

Equity markets also declined amid fears that an extended conflict could disrupt energy flows and intensify inflationary pressures on the global economy.

With the conflict entering its third week and no resolution in sight, analysts say investors are increasingly focused on the potential economic consequences of prolonged instability in energy markets.

Ihor Terekhov said the drone struck an area close to a residential building, causing damage to nearby property. Among those injured was a small child, he added.

The impact damaged vehicles and blew out windows in surrounding buildings, according to the mayor’s statement. Emergency services responded to the scene following the attack, which occurred in a city that has repeatedly come under Russian aerial strikes.

Kharkiv lies about 30 kilometres from the Russian border and has remained a frequent target since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

In a separate incident, Russian shelling struck the southeastern city of Dnipro, injuring seven people, regional governor Oleksandr Ganzha said on the Telegram messaging platform.

Ganzha posted photographs online showing rubble scattered across streets and damage to building facades following the attack.

Kharkiv resisted early advances by Russian forces during the initial stages of the invasion and has since remained under periodic bombardment, particularly from missiles, drones and artillery launched from across the nearby border with Russia.

European countries more than tripled their arms imports in the 2021–2025 period compared with 2016–2020, according to the report from the Sweden-based research institute. The increase reflects efforts to supply Ukraine in its defence against Russia’s invasion and to rebuild European militaries after decades of relatively low defence spending.

“The sharp increase in arms flows to European states pushed global arms transfers up almost 10%,” said Mathew George, director of the institute’s Arms Transfers Programme.

Europe accounted for 33% of global arms imports during the period, a sharp rise from 12% in the previous five-year timeframe, the report showed.

The surge in European procurement followed Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which prompted governments across the continent to replenish stockpiles and modernise armed forces.

Military assistance to Kyiv and the need to restore national inventories after decades of reduced defence spending have driven demand for advanced systems, including aircraft and air-defence capabilities.

Despite expanding domestic production, European governments continued to purchase significant volumes of equipment from the United States, particularly combat aircraft and long-range air-defence systems, according to the data.

The figures highlight the continuing reliance of many European countries on American defence technology even as European governments seek to strengthen their own defence industries.

Arms imports by Middle Eastern states declined by 13% during the same five-year period, although the region remains a major buyer of military equipment.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar ranked among the four largest individual arms importers globally.Pieter Wezeman, a senior researcher at the institute, said the decline mainly reflected large Saudi procurement orders placed in the previous reporting period that are still being integrated into the country’s military inventory.

He added that many governments in the region had already placed new orders before the latest escalation involving the United States, Israel and Iran, meaning the impact of those purchases is not yet fully reflected in the figures.

Wezeman said the current regional conflict is likely to boost demand further, particularly for anti-missile and air-defence systems.

“They will first replace what they have used, but also that they are going to look at buying more equipment to protect themselves even better than they can do now,” he said.

On the supply side, the United States increased its share of the global arms export market to 42%, up from 36% in the previous period, reinforcing its position as the world’s leading weapons exporter.

France ranked as the second-largest supplier with 9.8% of global arms exports.

Russia saw its share fall sharply to 6.8% from 21% following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, according to the report.Combined European arms exports accounted for 28% of the global market, a figure roughly four times larger than Russia’s share and five times greater than that of China, underscoring Europe’s growing role in the international defence trade.

Oil shipments through the pipeline to Slovakia and Hungary via Ukraine have been halted since late January after Kyiv said a Russian strike sparked a fire that seriously damaged the line. Ukrainian authorities have said repairs cannot be completed quickly.The disruption has triggered one of the most serious disputes between Kyiv and its two European Union neighbours since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.Pressure over EU loan to UkraineFico said he would raise the issue with von der Leyen during a meeting in Paris and push for technical experts to assess the damaged pipeline. In a video posted on Facebook, he warned Slovakia could block a major European Union loan to Ukraine if oil flows are not restored.“Blocking this huge military gift to Ukraine is a legitimate tool to achieve the restoration of oil supplies,” Fico said.Hungary has already vetoed new EU sanctions on Russia and a proposed 90-billion-euro loan package intended to support Ukraine.

Dispute over responsibility for delaysSlovakia and Hungary, both EU members that still import Russian oil and maintain ties with Moscow, have accused Ukraine of deliberately slowing the pipeline restart for political reasons. Ukrainian officials say the damage to the infrastructure makes a quick repair impossible.The European Commission said on Friday it was examining possible ways to help restore Druzhba oil flows, including potential financial assistance.Political tensions across the regionThe dispute has also affected bilateral relations between Slovakia and Ukraine.

Slovakia has already halted emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine during the standoff.Tensions are unfolding as Hungary approaches a closely contested election next month, with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has led the country for 16 years, making the war in Ukraine a central issue in his campaign.