Zelensky says Russia prioritises strikes over diplomacy, targets Ukraine’s energy sector

Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed that if Russia genuinely wanted to end the war, it would focus on diplomacy—not on missile strikes, blackouts, or attempts to damage Ukraine’s nuclear power plants.

He said there is information about the sites Russia reconnoitered in preparation for strikes, stressing that everything clearly shows “diplomacy is not a priority for Russia”.

In an address to the nation, Zelensky said, “The main target for Russia is invariably our energy sector. Almost 58,000 people are working around the clock in repair crews on power grids and generation facilities, and on the heating network alone. Resources from Ukrzaliznytsia and other state-owned companies have been involved. For Kyiv, where the situation is very difficult, an additional 50 crews from all over the country have been involved.”

“There are still houses without heating, and for them, the necessary equipment and crews are being sent to each house manually. It is also difficult in the Kyiv region, especially in the northern part of the region, also in the Boryspil district. Also in border and front-line regions, where repairs to networks and repairs to facilities are complicated by virtually constant shelling and constant strikes. These are Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Dnipro, and Zaporizhia regions – special attention is paid to these regions. There was a lot of work in Poltava and Odessa to stabilise the energy situation,” he added.

Zelensky further said that the Ukrainian delegation, which included the head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, Rustem Umerov, reported on meetings with representatives of US President Donald Trump.

“There have already been several rounds of negotiations – they are working on documents that are needed to end the war. It is important that the Ukrainian team fully informs the American side about what is happening in Ukraine and about the constant Russian attacks on our energy system,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Umerov took to the social media platform X, stating that over the course of two days, the Ukrainian delegation, including Presidential Office chief Kyrylo Budanov and Chairman of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction David Arakhamia, worked in the United States.

“On the American side, the consultations included Special Envoy for Peace Missions Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, U.S. Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll, and White House staff member Josh Gruenbaum. We had substantive discussions on economic development and prosperity plan as well as security guarantees for Ukraine, with a focus on practical mechanisms for their implementation and enforcement,” Umerov stated.

“We informed our American partners about recent attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure by Russia. We agreed to continue the work at the team level during the next stage of consultations in Davos,” he added.

IANS