Putin views energy as a battlefield — Zelenskyy
Kyiv • UNN
Zelenskyy said that Moscow does not agree to de-escalation and uses energy as a weapon. Ukraine needs air defense missiles, ammunition for F-16s, and energy equipment.
Russia refuses to discuss steps to reduce the consequences of the war and continues to threaten new strikes. In addition, Moscow tries to inflict as much damage as possible on Ukraine every winter, using energy as a tool of pressure. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this during an address to the participants of the IX Summit of the European Political Community, UNN reports.
Unfortunately, yesterday the Russians said that they did not have permission to discuss steps that could reduce the horrors of this war. And this despite yet another attempt on our part to achieve measures to de-escalate the situation in the Black Sea and halt attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. But in response, our delegation heard that the Russian leader was furious and wanted to continue launching strikes
He stressed that Russia has been trying to inflict as much damage as possible on Ukraine every winter since the beginning of the full-scale war.
Every winter, the Russians try to inflict as much damage as possible. We see this every day, every year. It was the same even before this war began, when Putin used gas almost every winter as a weapon against Ukraine and other countries, blackmailing people with energy resources
Among Ukraine's main needs, he named interceptor missiles for Patriot and NASAMS systems, as well as ammunition for F-16 fighter jets.
He views energy as a battlefield. And we understand this. Therefore, our priorities remain unchanged. First, air defense. We need interceptors — missiles for our Patriot and NASAMS systems. I urge you to take this as seriously as possible and help us find these missiles. Second, our F-16 fighter jets and ammunition for them. And this is once again a matter of air defense. We use F-16s to destroy Russian Shahed jet-powered drones. There are already hundreds and thousands of them. The Russians plan to increase both the production of jet-powered Shaheds and the number of attacks using them. Therefore, we need ammunition for defense. I also ask for your support on this matter. Third, energy support. We need it now, in November, and throughout the entire winter. Our team has lists of equipment destroyed as a result of Russian attacks. These lists exist, and we need assistance
We remind you
Russian strikes caused partial power outages in 9 regions of Ukraine. Four energy workers were injured in the Poltava region. Hourly schedules are in effect.