Ukraine has declared a state of emergency in its energy sector after sustained Russian attacks severely damaged power and heating infrastructure, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday.
Zelenskyy said the move would give authorities greater flexibility to address widespread electricity disruptions, particularly in Kyiv, where repairs are ongoing after strikes last week. Freezing temperatures, with night-time lows nearing minus 20 degrees Celsius, have worsened conditions for residents.
In a statement on social media, Zelenskyy said the consequences of the attacks and harsh weather were “severe” and required urgent action. He later said the emergency would allow faster decision-making to restore power, expand heating centres and, where possible, ease nightly curfews.
The president criticised preparations in Kyiv, saying the capital had done less than other major cities to respond to the crisis.
Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, rejected the criticism, saying heating had been restored to most affected buildings and support centres were operating around the clock.
Zelenskyy said a permanent coordination would be set up in Kyiv, overseen by Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal. He also said Ukraine was working to increase electricity imports and called on the military and diplomats to maintain pressure on the battlefield and in international talks.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump told Reuters that Ukraine - not Russia - is holding up a potential peace deal, rhetoric that stands in marked contrast to that of European allies, who have consistently argued Moscow has little interest in ending its war in Ukraine.
In an exclusive interview in the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to wrap up his nearly four-year-old invasion of Ukraine. Zelenskyy, the U.S. president said, was more reticent.
"I think he's ready to make a deal," Trump said of the Russian president. "I think Ukraine is less ready to make a deal."
Asked why U.S.-led negotiations had not yet resolved Europe's largest land conflict since World War Two, Trump responded: "Zelenskyy."
Trump told Reuters he was not aware of a potential upcoming trip to Moscow by Witkoff and Kushner, which Bloomberg reported earlier on Wednesday.
Asked if he would meet Zelenskyy at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, next week, Trump said he would but implied no plans were set.
"I would - if he's there," Trump said. "I'm going to be there."
Asked why he believed Zelenskyy was holding back on negotiations, Trump did not elaborate, saying only, "I just think he's, you know, having a hard time getting there."
Zelenskyy has publicly ruled out any territorial concessions to Moscow, saying Kyiv has no right under the country's constitution to give up any land.
Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz has said that Iran's security chief Ali Larijani was killed in ta...
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More than 400 people were killed and around 250 injured in an air strike on a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul late on Monday, Afghan official...
Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz has said that Iran's security chief Ali Larijani was killed in targeted strikes on the country.
A survivor of the air strike on a Kabul drug rehabilitation centre described scenes of devastation, saying patients were engulfed in flames moments after explosions tore through the facility late Monday (16 March).
The real power of the Strait of Hormuz lies not in closing it, but in the threat of closure.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz has said the country’s military killed two of Iran’s most senior security figures in overnight airstrikes, as tensions across the Middle East continue to escalate.
The other evening, I was fuelling my car at a petrol station in Kenya’s capital. It was one of those small moments most motorists barely notice. The attendant filled the tank, I glanced at the pump price, paid, and drove off.
President Trump called on countries to assist in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, while Starmer said the UK is working with allies to restore navigation and stabilise oil markets. It comes as a strike near Iraq’s western border killed several Hashed al-Shaabi fighters, raising regional tensions.
Top U.S. and Chinese economic officials launched a new round of talks in Paris on Sunday (15 March) to resolve issues in their trade truce. The discussions aim to smooth the way for U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at the end of March.
Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz has said that Iran's security chief Ali Larijani was killed in targeted strikes on the country.
Kazakhstan has adopted a new constitution that could allow President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to stay in power beyond 2029. The Central Election Commission confirmed that 87.15% of voters backed the constitution in a referendum held on Sunday (17 March).
The European Union has removed Georgia’s Kulevi oil terminal from its sanctions list after receiving assurances from both the Georgian government and Azerbaijan’s state energy company SOCAR that the facility will no longer be used in ways that could bypass sanctions on Russian oil.
More than 400 people were killed and around 250 injured in an air strike on a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul late on Monday, Afghan officials said, while Pakistan rejected the claim, calling it “false and misleading.”
Kazakhstan’Kazakhstan’s lower house has approved plans for a green energy corridor with Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. Once implemented, the project would see renewable electricity generated in the two Central Asian countries transmitted to Europe via Azerbaijan.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz has said the country’s military killed two of Iran’s most senior security figures in overnight airstrikes, as tensions across the Middle East continue to escalate.
When the current confrontation around Iran eventually fades into history, the real story for the South Caucasus may not be about missiles or military balances. It is likely to be about ports, railways and trade routes.
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