Zelensky is on all fronts to exert as much influence as possible in possible negotiations with his best enemy Vladimir Putin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday called on his Western allies to spend $250 billion in frozen Russian assets to buy weapons for his country and help it fight the Russian invasion.
“The strongest support for the Ukrainian army is to allocate (it) 250 billion. Ukraine will take this money, allocate a large part of it to domestic production and import of these types of weapons that Ukraine does not have,” he said at a press conference with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda.
The statement comes as Russia launched nearly 120 missiles and drones against Ukraine’s energy grid on Wednesday, a new “massive” attack that caused power outages in several regions of Ukraine, during President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit in Poland.
These strikes come the day after Ukraine claimed “the most massive attack” on Russian soil since the start of the war, which targeted, according to kyiv, industrial and military sites in several regions of Russia.
“In the middle of winter, the Russians’ target remains unchanged: our energy sector. Among the targets are gas infrastructure and energy installations that ensure normal life for the population,” denounced Mr. Zelensky on social networks.
Russia has regularly targeted Ukraine’s power grid since its invasion began three years ago, causing widespread power outages across Ukraine.
“This morning, the armed forces (…) launched a group attack with high-precision weapons and attack drones on critical gas and energy infrastructure that supports the Ukrainian military-industrial complex,” confirmed the Russian army in a press release.
Moscow used 43 ballistic and cruise missiles and 74 combat drones, of which 30 and 47 were shot down, respectively, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. The strikes particularly targeted the regions of Kharkiv (north-east), Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk (west).
Volodymyr Zelensky once again urged his country’s Western allies to “strengthen the Ukrainian air shield” and keep their promises which “have not yet been fully implemented”.
