Ukraine accused Moscow of continuing to attack its energy infrastructure despite a declared truce, as the Kremlin said Europe’s plans to boost defence production showed it was “at odds” with the leaders of Russia and the United States.
“Last night, the Russian army launched a massive drone attack on our country – 171 strike drones in total ... Their target was our infrastructure,” Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a video address to EU leaders meeting in Brussels.
“Despite [Vladimir] Putin’s words about allegedly being ready to stop the attacks, nothing has changed,” he added, referring to the Russian president’s announcement on Tuesday that he would join Ukraine in pausing strikes on enemy energy sites for 30 days.
“So it’s crucial that your support for Ukraine ... continues and grows. And this is especially true for air defence, military aid and our overall resilience. We need funds for artillery shells and would really appreciate Europe’s support with at least €5 billion as soon as possible.”
Mr Zelenskiy urged Europe to tighten sanctions “that must remain in place until Russia starts withdrawing from our land and fully compensates for the damage caused by its aggression.”
He also reiterated that Kyiv supports a US proposal for a full 30-day ceasefire covering land, sea and air, and said “Putin must stop making unnecessary demands that only prolong the war, and must start fulfilling what he promises the world.”
Mr Zelenskiy denied that he had discussed possible US ownership of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant – which is held by Russian troops – or other power stations with US president Donald Trump during a call on Wednesday.
“If the Americans want to take it from the Russians, invest in it, modernise it – this is an open question, we are ready to talk about it. But we did not discuss ownership,” he said.
Moscow and Kyiv said their officials would meet separately with a US delegation in Saudi Arabia on Monday, as Mr Trump pushes for an end Europe’s biggest war since 1945 and a rapprochement with Moscow.
Even though Russia started attacks on Ukraine 11 years ago and launched an all-out invasion in 2022, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed that Europe was now becoming a “party of war”.
“The main signals from Brussels and European capitals now regard plans for the militarisation of Europe, which is clearly at odds with the attitude of the presidents of Russia and the United States to seek ways towards a peaceful settlement process,” he said.
Russia said its military shot down 132 drones on Thursday, including 54 over the southern Saratov region, where footage posted online showed a massive explosion at what Kyiv said was the Engels air-force base, which is home to bombers that attack Ukraine.
