Ukraine's foreign minister urges partners to respond decisively to Russian strikes on energy
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has called on international partners to respond decisively to Russian strikes on Ukraine's critical civilian infrastructure on the night of 9-10 October.
"Russian terrorists struck critical civilian infrastructure, particularly energy, across Ukraine with hundreds of drones and missiles. I urge all partners to respond strongly. Putin did this on 10 October – the anniversary of the first large-scale attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure in 2022," Sybiha wrote on X.
Sybiha considers this a deliberate demonstration that, in three years, the Russian leader has not changed his aggressive actions, terrorist methods, or ultimatums and continues to reject any genuine diplomatic or peaceful efforts.
"Russia is worse than HAMAS. Even HAMAS has agreed to a ceasefire and peace efforts. To the contrary, Moscow continues the senseless war it began – the war it cannot and will not win. As a result of this massive strike, a 7-year-old boy was killed in Zaporizhzhia, and dozens more civilians have been injured across the country," he said.
He added that many people in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Poltava, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk and other oblasts remain without electricity following Russian strikes on civilian energy facilities.
Sybiha emphasised that depriving people of energy during the autumn cold constitutes an act of genocide under Article II(c) of the Genocide Convention: creating unbearable living conditions with the aim of destroying a national group.
"Pressure on Moscow is the only recipe that can work, but it needs to be strong and consolidated. Economic pressure of biting sanctions, military pressure of stronger support for Ukraine, and political pressure of full isolation. Putin must feel that the cost of continuing the war exceeds the cost of stopping it," Sybiha summed up.
The previous day, US President Donald Trump expressed his belief that Ukraine and Russia would soon hold negotiations for a peaceful settlement.
Trump also recently stated his confidence that he would eventually succeed in resolving the war initiated by Russia against Ukraine.