President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had "cynically violated" a U.S.-brokered agreement to halt strikes on energy infrastructure while negotiating teams were at work. The massive missile attack on Feb. 3 came less than four days after the "silence regime" requested by Washington took effect.
Zelensky made the remarks following a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who arrived in Kyiv.
According to Zelensky, the U.S. leader had requested a week-long halt to attacks on energy infrastructure while negotiations continued. The ceasefire effectively began Friday night, but Russian forces broke it today by launching a record number of ballistic missiles.
"Either Russia now thinks a week consists of barely four days instead of seven, or they are truly betting solely on war and simply waited for the coldest days of this winter, with temperatures dropping below -20 degrees Celsius across much of Ukraine," the President noted.
He stressed that the combined strike was unprecedented in its difficulty to intercept. Enemy forces launched 28 cruise missiles and 43 other missiles of various types approaching targets on ballistic trajectories. Since only Patriot systems can intercept them, the urgent delivery of interceptors for these batteries was a key topic of discussion with the NATO chief.
Zelensky emphasized that Moscow's actions demand a response from partners. Kyiv is already planning to contact U.S. officials regarding the incident.
"Everyone sees the weather—these are the harshest days of winter. Striking our infrastructure and energy sector now to deprive people of heat and cause blackouts reveals Russia’s true attitude toward everything that is happening," the Head of State concluded.
