Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York, said that Kyiv will strike Russian energy infrastructure this coming winter if Russia continues attacking Ukrainian energy infrastructure and the heating system.
“No Russian official could have imagined that ‘General Frost,’ who has fought on Russia’s side for centuries, would one day switch to the side of those defending themselves from it. We will make sure that this happens already this winter if the Russian Federation continues attacking our energy and heating”, Zelensky said.
He added that the coming winter could be “very harsh” for Ukraine, and then Kyiv “will have no other choice but to make it painful for Russia as well”.
Zelensky also said that from January to August, the Russian army lost about 250,000 servicemen on the battlefield in Ukraine. According to him, despite such losses, Russia managed to capture only about 1,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory, most of which the Armed Forces of Ukraine have already taken back under their control.
The Ukrainian president also said that Vladimir Putin, despite the losses, wants to continue the war and seize Odesa, Kharkiv, Dnipro, and other Ukrainian cities. “Putin is patient zero. He wants to seize Odesa, Kharkiv, Dnipro, and other Ukrainian cities: he must be stopped”, Zelensky said.
Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly called on Zelensky to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries, linking them to rising global fuel prices. On September 14, Trump said that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to stop attacks on energy facilities, while Kyiv said it was ready to отказаться from strikes on Russian energy infrastructure on the condition that Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy and other critical facilities stop.
On September 21, Zelensky wrote on X that Ukraine’s energy sector, critical infrastructure, and food exports must stop being targets of Russian attacks. The Financial Times, citing sources familiar with the Kremlin’s position, wrote that Vladimir Putin does not want to conclude an agreement to halt strikes on energy infrastructure before winter.
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