KYIV, Ukraine — President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine stated on Wednesday that Vladimir Putin’s promise to avoid targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure “very much at odds with reality,” referencing the overnight drone attacks across the country.
Zelensky mentioned his upcoming conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump, where he anticipates receiving updates on Trump’s discussion with Putin regarding a ceasefire and outlining subsequent actions.
“Even last night, after Putin’s conversation with … Trump, when Putin said that he was allegedly giving orders to stop strikes on Ukrainian energy, there were 150 drones launched overnight, including on energy facilities,” Zelensky told reporters alongside Finnish President Alexander Stubb in Helsinki.
These strikes, impacting civilian zones and damaging a hospital, occurred after Putin declined to support a full 30-day ceasefire during his talks with Trump.
The White House characterized the Trump-Putin call as an initial step towards a “movement to peace,” with hopes for a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea and, ultimately, a complete and lasting resolution to the conflict.
However, there was no indication that Putin had softened his stance on the conditions for a potential peace agreement, which Kyiv strongly opposes.
Zelensky highlighted that territorial concessions would be a major point of contention in future negotiations.
“For us, the red line is the recognition of the Ukrainian temporarily occupied territories as Russian,” he stated. “We will not go for it.”
Shortly after the extensive phone call between Trump and Putin on Tuesday, air raid sirens blared in Kyiv, followed by explosions as residents sought shelter.
Despite defense efforts, several strikes hit civilian infrastructure, including a direct drone strike on a hospital in Sumy and attacks on cities in the Donetsk region. Russian drones were also reported over Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Sumy, Chernihiv, Poltava, Kharkiv, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, and Cherkasy regions.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday that its air defenses intercepted 57 Ukrainian drones over the Azov Sea and several Russian regions, including the border provinces of Kursk and Bryansk, and the nearby regions of Oryol and Tula.
Separately, authorities in the Krasnodar region, bordering the Crimean Peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014, reported that a drone attack ignited a fire at an oil depot.