KYIV, Ukraine: Russia battered Ukraine’s energy facilities with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles in its latest heavy bombardment of the country’s power grid, authorities said Thursday, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky prepared to ask President Donald Trump at a White House meeting for more American-made air defenses and long-range missiles.
As he considers Zelensky’s push for US missiles, Trump said after Thursday’s call with Russian President Vladimir Putin that they will meet in Budapest, Hungary to try to bring the war to an end. No date for the meeting has been set.
Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he will discuss his call with Putin “and much more” when he meets Zelensky on Friday, adding that “I believe great progress was made with today’s telephone conversation.”
Meanwhile, eight Ukrainian regions experienced blackouts after the barrage, Ukraine’s national energy operator, Ukrenergo, said. DTEK, the country’s largest private energy company, reported outages in the capital, Kyiv, and said it had to stop its natural gas extraction in the central Poltava region due to the strikes. Natural gas infrastructure was damaged for the sixth time this month, Naftogaz, Ukraine’s state-owned oil and gas company, said.
Russia fires hundreds of drones and 37 missiles
Zelensky said Russia fired more than 300 drones and 37 missiles at Ukraine overnight. He accused Russia of using cluster munitions and conducting repeated strikes on the same target to hit emergency crews and engineers working to repair the grid.
“This fall, the Russians are using every single day to strike our energy infrastructure,” Zelensky said on Telegram.
The Ukrainian power grid been one of Russia’s main targets since its invasion of its neighbor more than three years ago. Attacks increase as the bitterly cold months approach in a Russian strategy that Ukrainian officials call “weaponizing winter.” Russia says it aims only at targets of military value.
Ukraine has hit back by targeting oil refineries and related infrastructure that are crucial for Russia’s economy and war effort. Ukraine’s general staff said Thursday its forces struck Saratov oil refinery, in the Russian region of the same name, for the second time in two months. The facility is located some 500 kilometers (300 miles) from the Ukrainian border. Moscow made no immediate comment on the claim.
Ukraine seeks air defenses and attack missiles
Ukrainian forces have resisted Russia’s bigger and better-equipped army, limiting it to a grinding war of attrition along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line snaking through eastern and southern regions.
But Ukraine, which is almost the size of Texas, is hard to defend from the air in its entirety, and Kyiv officials are seeking more Western help to fend against aerial attacks and strike back at Russia.
Zelensky was expected to arrive in the United States on Thursday, ahead of his Oval Office meeting with Trump on Friday.
Ukraine is seeking cruise missiles, air defense systems and joint drone production agreements from the United States, Kyiv officials say. Zelensky also wants tougher international economic sanctions on Moscow.
The visit comes amid signs that Trump is leaning toward stepping up pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to break the deadlock in US-led peace efforts.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday in Brussels that if Russia won’t budge from its objections and refuses to negotiate a peace deal, Washington “will take the steps necessary to impose costs on Russia for its continued aggression.”
Also, Trump said Wednesday that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally assured him that his country would stop buying Russian oil. That would deny Moscow income it needs to keep fighting in Ukraine.
Washington has hesitated over providing Ukraine with long-range missiles, such as Tomahawks, out of concern that such a step could escalate the war and deepen tensions between the United States and Russia.
But Trump has been frustrated by his inability to force an end to the war in Ukraine and has expressed impatience with Putin, whom he increasingly describes as the primary obstacle to a resolution.
The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think tank, said in an assessment published late Wednesday that sending Tomahawks to Ukraine would not escalate the war and would only “mirror Russia’s own use of … long-range cruise missiles against Ukraine.”
Ukraine engages with American defense companies
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Economy Ministry said Thursday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with US company Bell Textron Inc. to cooperate in aviation technology.
The Fort Worth, Texas-based aerospace and defense company will open an office in Ukraine and establish a center for assembly and testing, while exchanging know-how and training Ukrainians in the United States, according to a ministry statement.
Ukraine, unsure what it can expect from Western allies, is keen to develop its own arms industry.
On Wednesday, a Ukrainian government delegation met during a US visit with prominent American weapons manufacturers Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.
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Russian barrage causes blackouts in Ukraine as Zelensky seeks Trump’s help
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Russian barrage causes blackouts in Ukraine as Zelensky seeks Trump’s help
- kraine's President Zelensky accused Russia of using cluster munitions and conducting repeated strikes on the same target to hit emergency crews repairing damaged electric grid
- Zelensky was due to meet on Friday with US President Trump, who calls on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war had been ignored
Taiwan says China deploys warships in ‘military operations’
TAIPEI: Taiwan said Friday that China had deployed warships for “military operations” stretching hundreds of kilometers from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea, posing a “threat” to the region.
Beijing, which claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory, neither confirmed nor denied the maneuvers.
Taiwan’s defense ministry and other security agencies were monitoring China’s activities and had a “complete grasp of the situation,” presidential office spokeswoman Karen Kuo told reporters.
She did not say how many Chinese ships were involved in the deployment, but a security source told AFP the number was “significant.” The source spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
The operations were not limited to the Taiwan Strait, but extended from the southern Yellow Sea, to the East China Sea near the disputed Diaoyu Islands and on into the South China Sea and even the Western Pacific, Kuo said.
“This indeed poses a threat and impact on the Indo-Pacific and the entire region,” she said.
Taiwan urged China to “exercise restraint,” Kuo said, adding: “We are also confident that we can handle this matter well.”
Neither China’s armed forces nor state media have announced any increased military activity in the region where Taiwan said Chinese ships had been detected.
Beijing’s foreign ministry did not answer directly when asked if the military was amassing a large number of naval vessels in those waters.
“I want to emphasize that China has consistently followed a defensive policy,” spokesman Lin Jian told a regular press briefing.
“The Chinese navy and coast guard strictly operate in relevant waters according to Chinese domestic law and international law,” Lin said.
He urged “relevant parties” not to “overreact or... engage in groundless hype.”
China has refused to rule out using force to take Taiwan, and also claims contentious sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea.
Taiwan’s intelligence chief Tsai Ming-yen said Wednesday that October to December was the “peak season” for China’s “annual evaluation exercises.”
There was a possibility that China’s ruling Communist Party could turn seemingly routine military activities into drills targeting Taiwan, Tsai warned.
Beijing, which claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory, neither confirmed nor denied the maneuvers.
Taiwan’s defense ministry and other security agencies were monitoring China’s activities and had a “complete grasp of the situation,” presidential office spokeswoman Karen Kuo told reporters.
She did not say how many Chinese ships were involved in the deployment, but a security source told AFP the number was “significant.” The source spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
The operations were not limited to the Taiwan Strait, but extended from the southern Yellow Sea, to the East China Sea near the disputed Diaoyu Islands and on into the South China Sea and even the Western Pacific, Kuo said.
“This indeed poses a threat and impact on the Indo-Pacific and the entire region,” she said.
Taiwan urged China to “exercise restraint,” Kuo said, adding: “We are also confident that we can handle this matter well.”
Neither China’s armed forces nor state media have announced any increased military activity in the region where Taiwan said Chinese ships had been detected.
Beijing’s foreign ministry did not answer directly when asked if the military was amassing a large number of naval vessels in those waters.
“I want to emphasize that China has consistently followed a defensive policy,” spokesman Lin Jian told a regular press briefing.
“The Chinese navy and coast guard strictly operate in relevant waters according to Chinese domestic law and international law,” Lin said.
He urged “relevant parties” not to “overreact or... engage in groundless hype.”
China has refused to rule out using force to take Taiwan, and also claims contentious sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea.
Taiwan’s intelligence chief Tsai Ming-yen said Wednesday that October to December was the “peak season” for China’s “annual evaluation exercises.”
There was a possibility that China’s ruling Communist Party could turn seemingly routine military activities into drills targeting Taiwan, Tsai warned.
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