President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday said Russian artillery had caused damage to Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in the front-line city of Kherson, just two days after the United States announced that both sides had agreed to a truce on energy-related strikes.
“Two days ago, there was a night when there were no strikes on the energy sector, today energy infrastructure in the city of Kherson was damaged by Russian artillery,” Zelenskyy said in Paris. “I believe that the U.S. should respond with actions.”
The United States announced separate agreements with Kyiv and Moscow on Tuesday to pause attacks in the Black Sea and against each other’s energy installations, the first such deal since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January.
“Our side, as long as no one understands who is monitoring what…, all this (evidence) will be prepared and transferred to the U.S., and after that we are waiting for America’s reaction, since they told us that they will respond to violations,” Zelenskyy said after a summit of Ukraine’s allies in the French capital.
The regional governor of Kherson, Oleksandr Prokudin, said work was continuing to restore power to consumers who had been left without supply as a result of Russian shelling.
Moscow accused Kyiv on Wednesday of using drones to attack energy facilities in Russia’s Kursk and Bryansk regions, and in the occupied Crimean peninsula.
The Ukrainian military denied those accusations.
“The (Russian) military continues to produce fakes, seeking to make baseless accusations against Ukraine and prolong the war,” the military said in a statement on the Telegram app.
Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and now holds about 20% of the country, contends that it has observed an energy strike truce since March 18. Ukraine says Russia has attacked eight Ukrainian energy facilities since that date.
Zelenskyy also said in Paris he believed the Trump administration’s stance towards Russia should be tougher, adding Ukraine needed Washington’s help to be strong in negotiations.
He said he was not afraid of any format of talks to end the three-year war.
Rare earth minerals deal
Zelenskyy expressed frustration over the lack of a final agreement on Ukraine’s rare earth minerals cooperation with the U.S. and claimed Washington is constantly changing the terms of the agreement.
Still, he said there is currently “no issue on the agenda” that would warrant a trip to Washington.
The proposed rare earth minerals deal is seen as a major step in U.S.-Ukraine economic ties, especially as Kyiv seeks to leverage its strategic resources amid the war with Russia.
“At the end of the day, they constantly change the terms,” Zelenskyy said. “I’m not going to Washington because there’s no issue on the agenda.”
The Ukrainian leader said multiple drafts and frameworks have already been discussed. “We have a lot of these agreements about the minerals, and I’d like to treat it not theoretically, but in practical terms,” he said.
Zelenskyy noted that Ukrainian and U.S. teams are now working on a full version of the deal.
“America is changing the rules and proposing a full agreement, but it requires a detailed, thorough study… serious agreements that will be brought before the parliament and ratified,” he added.
He emphasized that lawyers have been reviewing multiple versions, first a framework deal and now a revised one under new terms. “We have to act in a reserved manner,” Zelenskyy said.
