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Ukraine has declared a state of emergency in the country’s energy sector, with particular focus on Kyiv, as ongoing Russian strikes continue to leave thousands of residents without power. <\/p>\n
The nation is in the midst of a particularly cold winter, with overnight temperatures in Kyiv dropping to around -20C.<\/p>\n
After a special cabinet meeting, President Volodymyr Zelensky said a round-the-clock task force would be set up to deal with the damaging consequences of Russian airstrikes and worsening weather conditions. <\/p>\n
He accused Moscow of deliberately exploiting the harsh, sub-zero temperatures to target critical infrastructure, including energy distribution facilities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Ukraine is “less ready to make a deal” than Russia. <\/p>\n
He told the Reuters news agency that it was Zelensky, not Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was stalling peace talks for the nearly four-year long war.<\/p>\n
“I think Ukraine is less ready to make a deal,” Trump said.<\/p>\n
When asked why US-led negotiations had not yet resolved the conflict, Trump responded: “Zelensky”.<\/p>\n
In recent weeks, Kyiv has been particularly affected by Russian attacks, leaving thousands of homes without regular power, heating or running water. <\/p>\n
After one particularly heavy night of missile and drone attacks last week, 70% of the capital was left without power for several hours.<\/p>\n
Zelensky said the new measures would include procuring vital energy equipment and resources from abroad to replace damaged installations. <\/p>\n
“The First Deputy Prime Minister \u2013 Minister of Energy of Ukraine has been assigned to oversee work supporting people and communities under these conditions,” he wrote on X.<\/p>\n
He also ordered an increase in the number of emergency help points around Kyiv to provide heat and power for residents, a move which could see a relaxing of current midnight curfew in the capital.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Russian attacks on energy infrastructure have not been limited to the capital.<\/p>\n
Last week, Ukrainian officials said that more than one million people in south-eastern Ukraine spent hours without heating and water supplies as a result of Russian air strikes. <\/p>\n
DTEK, Ukraine’s biggest private energy provider, is living in permanent crisis mode because of Russian attacks on the grid, its CEO, Maxim Timchenko, told the BBC last month.<\/p>\n
As the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion approaches, Timchenko said Russia had repeatedly targeted DTEK’s energy grid with “waves of drones, cruise and ballistic missiles” and the company had found it difficult to cope.<\/p>\n
He added that the intensity of strikes had been so frequent “we just don’t have time to recover”.<\/p>\n
DTEK currently provides power for 5.6 million Ukrainians.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n