The Trump White House
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Wednesday that he would engage in discussions with US President Donald Trump, following a new series of Russian assaults. This announcement came just hours after President Vladimir Putin reportedly committed to ceasing attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
This commitment was made during a conversation between Putin and Trump, during which the Russian leader purportedly agreed to suspend strikes on energy facilities for a duration of 30 days. However, shortly after this dialogue, Russia initiated a significant drone and missile offensive targeting various locations in Ukraine.
At a press conference in Helsinki, Zelenskyy criticized Putin for failing to uphold his promise.
“Even last night, after Putin’s conversation with President Trump, during which he supposedly stated he had ordered a halt to strikes on Ukrainian energy targets, 150 drones targeted energy infrastructure, transportation, and, regrettably, two hospitals,” Zelenskyy remarked. “Putin’s statements starkly contrast with the reality,” he continued.
Immediately following the conclusion of the Putin-Trump call, air raid sirens were activated throughout Kyiv, accompanied by explosions illuminating the night sky. Ukrainian air defenses managed to intercept a significant number of the drones; however, the assault still resulted in extensive damage.
Ukrainian officials reported that six Russian missiles and 145 drones struck civilian infrastructure nationwide. A primary target was the power supply for Ukraine’s national railway network in the Dnipropetrovsk region, which experienced outages. Nevertheless, the national railway operator confirmed that train services continued as scheduled, despite some areas lacking electricity.
This railway line had also been targeted earlier in the week.
In the Sumy region of northern Ukraine, Russian artillery fire hit an apartment building, resulting in one fatality and three injuries. Additionally, a drone crashed onto the roof of a nearby hospital. President Zelenskyy had recently cautioned that Russia was gathering troops near the Sumy border, heightening concerns of a potential escalation in hostilities.
Compounding the situation, Russia’s defense ministry asserted that it had downed its own drones that were headed to attack energy infrastructure in the Mykolayiv region, claiming this action was taken under a direct order from President Putin to halt energy-related strikes following his conversation with Trump.
Nevertheless, the overnight bombardment continued to inflict significant damage on Ukrainian infrastructure. In a related incident, a Ukrainian drone targeted an oil facility in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, igniting a substantial fire, as reported by local media. This attack is perceived as part of Ukraine’s strategy to respond to Russia’s persistent aggression.
Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine’s actions are solely aimed at Russian facilities in retaliation. “If the Russians ceased their attacks on our targets, we would certainly refrain from striking theirs,” he stated.
