Russia bombards Ukraine's energy grid after Zelenskyy says his team will hold talks with U.S.

Thomson Reuters

· Posted: Mar 07, 2025 7:05 AM EST | Last Updated: 15 minutes ago

Russian forces targeted Ukraine's vigor and state infrastructure successful their latest drone and rocket attack, Ukraine's vigor curate said connected Friday.

Regional officials from the northeastern metropolis of Kharkiv to the occidental metropolis of Ternopil reported harm to vigor and different infrastructure. Eight radical were injured successful Kharkiv and 2 more, including a child, were wounded successful Poltava, officials said.

"Russia continues its vigor terror," Energy Minister German Galuschenko said connected Facebook. "Again vigor and state infrastructure successful assorted regions of Ukraine has travel nether monolithic rocket and drone fire."

"Wherever possible, rescuers and powerfulness engineers are moving to destruct the consequences. All indispensable measures are being taken to stabilize powerfulness and state supplies," helium added.

Ukraine's aerial unit said Russia had fired a salvo of 67 missiles and 194 drones successful the overnight attack, adding that it had changeable down 34 of the missiles and 100 of the drones.

For the archetypal time, Ukraine deployed French Mirage-2000 warplanes delivered a period agone to assistance repel the attack, according to the aerial force. Ukraine besides has Western-supplied F-16 combatant jets to sprout down Russian missiles.

First onslaught since U.S. pullback announced

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for a truce successful the aerial and astatine sea, arsenic good arsenic further unit connected Russia.

"The archetypal steps to establishing existent bid should beryllium forcing the sole root of this war, Russia, to halt specified attacks," Zelenskyy said connected the Telegram app.

Russia, which antecedently focused its rocket and drone attacks connected the Ukrainian energy sector, has successful caller months sharply stepped up its attacks connected Ukrainian state retention facilities and accumulation fields.

The Russian Defence Ministry said connected Friday its forces carried retired strikes with long-range air, oversea and land-based precision weapons against what it called state and vigor infrastructure supporting Ukraine's military-industrial complex.

The onslaught connected Friday was the archetypal large-scale battle from Russia since the suspension of the U.S. subject assistance and quality successful caller days from President Donald Trump's administration, which has halted subject assistance to Ukraine arsenic good arsenic quality sharing, successful a reversal of U.S. policies nether predecessor Joe Biden.

Trump and his Vice-President JD Vance accused Zelenskyy of not being grateful capable for American enactment successful a singular show recorded successful the Oval Office precisely 1 week ago, though determination person been humble signs of re-engagement betwixt the U.S. and Ukraine this week.

Zelenskyy said precocious Thursday helium would question to Saudi Arabia adjacent Monday for a gathering with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman up of talks determination aboriginal successful the week betwixt U.S. and Ukrainian officials.

"Ukraine is acceptable to prosecute the way to peace, and it is Ukraine that strives for bid from the precise archetypal 2nd of this war. The task is to unit Russia to halt the war," Zelenskyy said successful his Telegram connection connected Friday.

Trump's peculiar envoy, Steve Witkoff, who has already held extended talks with Russian officials, said helium was successful discussions with Ukraine for a bid statement framework and confirmed that a gathering was planned adjacent week with the Ukrainians successful Saudi Arabia.

Hungary's Orban a holdout connected EU pledge

On the battlefield, Ukraine is outnumbered and Russian forces are steadily advancing successful the eastbound Donetsk region, albeit slowly, and mounting large unit connected Ukrainian troops trying to clasp territory successful Russia's Kursk region.

A Russian Defence Ministry connection connected Thursday said its forces had captured the colony of Andriivka — westbound of the logistics centre of Kurakhove, which Moscow said it had taken successful aboriginal January.

The General Staff of Ukraine's subject made nary notation of Andriivka falling into Russian hands. But successful a precocious evening report, it mentioned the colony arsenic 1 of 5 that had travel nether onslaught during 17 attempts by Russian forces to pierce Ukrainian defences successful the Pokrovsk assemblage successful Donetsk region.

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European leaders connected Thursday backed plans to walk much connected defence and proceed to basal by Ukraine successful a satellite upended by alteration successful American support. But the connection of enactment came from 26 European Union countries, not each 27. 

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban refused to endorse the statement and said Friday the EU couldn't spend specified arsenic a commitment. Orban said the mode the EU wants to enactment Ukraine now, portion besides boosting Europe's ain defence spending, would "ruin Europe." 

"Today it appears that I person vetoed. But wrong weeks they volition travel backmost and it volition crook retired that determination is nary wealth for these goals," helium said successful a authorities vigor address.

Orban has refused to nonstop weapons to Ukraine since the commencement of the warfare successful 2022, and keeps adjacent relations with some Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.