russian Strikes Plunge Seven Ukrainian Regions Into Darkness
KYIV, Ukraine – Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy grid have triggered widespread power outages across at least seven regions, Ukrainian officials reported Sunday, as discussions continue regarding potential increased military aid from the United States. The attacks, the latest in a sustained campaign targeting Ukrainian infrastructure, have left hundreds of thousands without electricity.
The Ukrainian president is increasing his calls to his allies. On Sunday, he spoke for the second time in two days wiht his American counterpart, Donald Trump, a conversation he again described as “very productive” on Telegram.
The two leaders discussed “protection of life” in Ukraine, and also “strengthening [thier] air defense, [their] resilience and [their] scope” he reported.
On Friday, Volodymyr Zelensky said he was in discussions with US officials about the possible supply of various long-range precision weapons, including Tomahawk cruise missiles and more ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles. After his exchange with Donald Trump on Saturday,he again declared that he had mentioned “possibilities for strengthening the air defense of Ukraine.“
donald Trump said earlier in the week that he had “sort of made a decision” regarding the sending of Tomahawk to Ukraine, without giving further details. A high-level Ukrainian delegation is scheduled to visit the United States this week.
The prospect of Tomahawk missiles reaching Ukraine has drawn concern from Moscow. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov said on Sunday that “the subject of the Tomahawk is extremely worrying.” “We are currently experiencing a truly dramatic period as tensions are intensifying on all sides,” he told the press.
Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, also called on Sunday to “calm down about it.” He stated that Donald Trump “sometimes takes a more muscular approach, then his tactic is to take the pressure off a little and take a step back. We must therefore not take it literally,as if it was going to fly tomorrow.”
Volodymyr Zelensky stated, “We see and hear that Russia is afraid that the Americans could supply us with Tomahawks, this is a signal that this type of pressure could work for peace.” He added, “We agreed with President Trump that our teams, our military will take care of everything we discussed.”
