Zelenskyy demands faster energy imports as Ukraine reels from power outages

Zelenskyy demands faster energy imports as Ukraine reels from power outages

As a result of Russian attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the country’s president, has declared that imports of electricity and additional power supplies must be increased.

Zelenskyy claimed in a social media post on Saturday that power outages linked to intensified Russian strikes hit the region’s capital Kyiv and the Kharkiv and Zaporizhia regions particularly hard.

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He argued that “we need to increase the imports of electricity as much as we can” and the supply of additional equipment from partners. The decision to increase imports must be made right away, according to  , “All decisions are already in place.”

Because the country’s power grid is only able to supply 60% of its electricity needs, the Ukrainian government has declared an energy emergency.

Families all over Ukraine are struggling to stay warm because of the extreme cold that has also been contributing to the situation.

Russia has regularly targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure during the winter since it invaded its neighbor in February 2022 as a means of gaining Russian support for its demands.

The Russian attack on Ukraine’s energy this year has been condemned by the UN and other observers, highlighting the vulnerability of children and the elderly.

NATO’s Mark Rutte stated earlier this week that the military alliance was “committed to ensuring that Ukraine continues to receive the crucial support needed to defend today and ultimately secure a lasting peace.” The statement added that Russia’s attacks are “causing terrible human suffering.”

Thousands without power

After overnight Russian strikes, Zelenskyy claimed 400, 000 people were experiencing “difficulties with electricity” in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.

Ihor Terekhov, the mayor of Kharkiv, claimed on Saturday that three people were hurt in a Russian attack on a crucial infrastructure facility in the city’s industrial district.

He wrote on Telegram that “we’re talking about serious strikes against the system that keeps the city warm and lit,” adding that it is “constantly operating at its limits.”

Each new strike, according to Terekhov, will make “maintaining a stable supply even more challenging, and recovery will be more time-consuming and challenging.”

After the most recent Russian attacks, authorities reported that 56, 000 households in the Bucha region of Kyiv were without power.

According to the energy ministry of Ukraine, there were restrictions on electricity in most of the country.

A state of emergency has been declared in the Ukrainian energy sector as a result of the Russian Federation’s ongoing, massive attacks, according to the ministry.

In Kyiv, Ukraine, on January 14, 2026, a Ukrainian mother warms her three-year-old daughter’s hands with her breath [Alina Smutko/Reuters].

US negotiators from Ukraine

Meanwhile, senior members of President Donald Trump’s administration, who have been pushing for a resolution for the nearly four-year conflict, arrived in the United States on Saturday for another round of discussions.

The delegation will meet with US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and US envoy Steve Witkoff, according to Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Zelenskyy’s office.

A just peace is required in Ukraine. In a post on the Telegram app, Budanov stated that “we are working to achieve results.”

Zelenskyy claimed that the team’s main task in the US was “to present the full and accurate picture of what Russian strikes are causing” in Ukraine.

He wrote on social media that “one of the effects of this terror is the discrediting of the diplomatic process: people lose faith in diplomacy, and Russian attacks consistently undermine even the most limited opportunities for dialogue that existed before.”

The American side must comprehend this, they say.

Russia has yet to comment on the 20-point peace proposal that was created by Ukraine and the US, as a result of Washington’s efforts to end the fighting so far.

Over the past few months, the Russian government has pressed for assurances that Ukraine won’t join NATO and made several demands.

Zelenskyy once more attributed the stagnant progress to Moscow on Saturday. It is now up to our partners to decide whether diplomacy progresses because Ukraine has never been and will never be a roadblock to peace.

Source: Aljazeera

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