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.
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U.S. Vice President JD Vance has arrived in Armenia, marking the first time a sitting U.S. vice president or president has visited the country, as Washington seeks to deepen engagement in the South Caucasus and advance a U.S.-brokered peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has called on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to step down, saying that “the distraction needs to end and the leadership in Downing Street has to change.”
Pressure is mounting on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer amid resignations and a row over Peter Mandelson, a powerful figure in the ruling Labour Party. The episode has raised doubts about Starmer’s authority and how firmly his own party continues to back him.
Chinese authorities have quietly signalled a shift in strategy, instructing some state-owned banks to rein in their purchases of U.S. government bonds.
U.S. President Donald Trump has criticised American freestyle skier Hunter Hess after the athlete said he felt conflicted about representing the United States at the Winter Olympics in Italy, sparking a public clash that highlights growing political tensions surrounding the Games.
U.S. skiing great Lindsey Vonn underwent surgery in an Italian hospital on Sunday after her attempt to win Olympic downhill gold ended in a violent crash just seconds into the race at the Milano Cortina Winter Games.
Several avalanches struck northern Italy on Saturday, killing at least three people, as rescue officials warned the death toll could rise with unstable conditions persisting across the Alps.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner visited the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea on Saturday after completing a round of talks with Iran.
Russian forces attacked Ukraine’s energy infrastructure overnight on Saturday, marking the second such strike in less than a week, according to Ukrainian authorities.
Iran’s atomic energy chief says Tehran could dilute uranium enriched to 60 per cent if all international sanctions are lifted, stressing that technical nuclear issues are being discussed alongside political matters in ongoing negotiations.
NATO member Türkiye has dispatched several military aircraft to Germany, along with roughly 2,000 troops, to take part in the Western alliance’s largest annual military exercise.
Uzbekistan is set to introduce mandatory preparatory “zero classes” before primary school, after President Shavkat Mirziyoyev approved a decree making year-long school readiness programmes an official part of compulsory education.
The U.S. Helsinki Commission is set to refocus attention on Georgia’s domestic political crisis and its faltering relationship with Washington with a 11 February briefing titled “Georgian Dream’s Growing Suppression of Dissent.”
Kazakhstan has significantly expanded its international air connectivity last year, reopening and launching flights to 30 countries according to data released by the country’s transport authorities. By the end of 2025, Kazakhstan was operating 135 international routes.
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