NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Tuesday inspected a thermal power plant in Kyiv that was damaged during overnight Russian attacks, as Ukraine accused Moscow of exploiting an energy truce to intensify its military campaign.
Ukrainian Prime Minister and Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal showed Rutte touring the facility and being briefed on the extent of the damage caused by the strikes.
The visit came hours after Russian attacks knocked out heating in several Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv, amid freezing winter temperatures. The strikes occurred as Ukrainian negotiators prepared to travel to Abu Dhabi for a second round of U.S.-brokered trilateral talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia had used a U.S.-backed pause in attacks on energy infrastructure to stockpile weapons, before launching what he described as hundreds of drone strikes and a record number of ballistic missiles.
Speaking alongside Rutte at a joint press conference, Zelenskyy said the two discussed the urgent need for additional air defence systems and the possibility of licences for U.S. weapons production in Europe.
He did not say whether the talks had produced concrete outcomes.
Russia has not commented on the specific accusations, but Moscow previously said it agreed to limit strikes on energy infrastructure at the request of U.S. President Donald Trump, an arrangement Kyiv said it would also observe.
Ukraine’s energy system has been repeatedly targeted since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, with officials warning that renewed strikes during winter pose a serious humanitarian risk.
The latest attacks underline the fragile nature of the energy truce as diplomatic efforts to halt the nearly four-year war continue.
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Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have concluded talks in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, as leaders gather for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
Iran has reached an understanding with Oman on transit arrangements through the Strait of Hormuz, but the waterway will remain closed until the U.S. fulfils its commitments, a senior Iranian diplomat said on Saturday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused U.S. government and Israel-aligned actors of manipulating energy markets to promote the war with Iran.
Russian strikes on the Kyiv region overnight killed 37 people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. Zelenskyy added that the Ukrainian capital was under "virtually nonstop attack" from drones.
U.S. forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island on Sunday, with Tehran responding by launching ballistic missiles at two U.S. bases in Jordan in the first direct U.S.-Iran military escalation in weeks.
Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have formalised their new defensive alliance at the grouping’s first high-level meeting held Monday in Istanbul.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has stated that Tehran is not pursuing a military conflict but promised a strong response to 'aggressors' while the Army and Revolutionary Guards said they carried out retaliatory attacks against U.S. bases in the region on Monday.
Kyrgyzstan is hosting the sixth World Nomad Games, bringing together thousands of athletes from around the world for a celebration of traditional sports, cultural heritage and nomadic traditions.
Pakistan is set to take over the rotating chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation after the bloc’s leaders meet in Bishkek. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived on Friday to attend the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting and SCO Plus Summit, which run until 2 September.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned the actions of Israeli settlers in the West Bank village of Qusra, saying security operations should be handled only by state institutions, including the army and police.
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